Moldova’s constitutional amendment replacing the “Moldovan language” with the “Romanian language” as the official national language may not be a good sign for an already bruised NATO alliance. Moldovan lawmakers have approved the final reading of a bill that will change references to the country’s official national language in the constitution and in all legislative texts from Moldovan to Romanian.
The bill, intended to resolve a heated dispute over whether the national language should be referred to as Romanian or Moldovan, was introduced by pro-Western President Maia Sandu’s ruling Action and Solidarity Party (PAS). It was approved by lawmakers in its first reading in early March and passed again on March 16 with the support of 58 lawmakers in the 101-member parliament.
The bill will be considered as endorsed into law after its text is published in the media. The law will replace the currently used “Moldovan language,” “official language,” “state language,” and “maternal language” in the constitution and all official documents. More than 80 percent of Moldovans speak Romanian as their mother tongue.
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The bill would serve as a strong impetus for advocates of Moldova- Romania unification. Romanian is favored by those who want closer relations or even unification with Romania.
You see, the people of Moldova and Romania have vast cultural and historical ties, dating back to the 14th century, via historical figures such as Dragoș Vodă or Dragoș the Founder. He was a Romanian landowner who represented a Hungarian monarch and became the first ruler of the territory where modern-day Moldova exists. The territory was eventually annexed by the Ottoman Empire, becoming a vassal state from 1538 until the 1812 Treaty of Bucharest, via which the Russian Empire gained control of the area. The Russian revolutions of 1905 and 1917 sparked a longing for independence among the inhabitants of modern Moldova. In 1918, the territory, then known as Bessarabia, declared independence from Russia and joined the Kingdom of Romania.
Even though Romania allied with the Axis in World War II, the secret 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop pact defined spheres of influence in Eastern Europe between Berlin and Moscow. In 1940, one year before Operation Barbarossa, following an ultimatum given to the Romanian King Carol II, Russia occupied Moldova. The Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic (Moldavian SSR) was established on August 2, 1940.
This history is vital to keep in mind because it provides historical justifications for this potential unification since, as recently as one century ago, the territories of Romania and Moldova (then-Bessarabia) were indeed one country. Recently, according to a poll by iData, up to 44% of Moldovans may support unification with Romania. When asked about these results during her interview for In PROfunzime, President Sandu acknowledged that many of her citizens support a union between the two countries, while others are afraid of it. However, regarding the likelihood of unification, the Moldovan head of state noted that “such a major project can only be done with sufficient majority support in society.”
While the conventional wisdom says that such a unification is a geopolitical victory for both the EU and NATO, however such analyses ignore the changing geopolitical dynamics. As we have previously noted, there’s an ongoing existential crisis engulfing the NATO. It is a widely held view that NATO has not always done enough to address the interests of Eastern European countries. The alliance has relied too heavily on the power and resources of its Western European member states, often to the detriment of its Eastern European partners.
One example of this is the ongoing debate over defense spending within NATO. Many Eastern European countries feel that they are not receiving adequate support from their Western European allies, who often prioritize other areas of defense spending over bolstering Eastern European defenses. This has led to tensions between the two regions, with some Eastern European countries feeling neglected by the alliance. Moreover, some Eastern European countries have also criticized NATO for not doing enough to address their specific security concerns. These countries, particularly those in the Baltics, have expressed concern about the perceived threat posed by Russia, and have argued that NATO has not done enough to address this threat
In a similar vein, the relationship between the EU and the Eastern-European Nations has been strained in recent years. The EU has failed to make significant progress in integrating the region and many of the countries have become increasingly wary of the EU’s intentions. In particular, the EU’s lack of action in the region’s migration crisis has been a major source of discontent. For years, the Balkan states, Poland, and others have sounded the alarm bell about France and Germany’s undue influence over Brussels, which eventually eclipsed other countries’ ambitions as well as interests within the bloc. East European countries in particular have received very step-brotherly treatment from Brussels, despite these countries having expertise in dealing with Russia, given their territorial and cultural proximity.
As a result, these member nations, frustrated by the hegemonic activities of the likes of Germany and France, have been endeavoring to create a counterbalancing act. Romania has been spearheading this contemporary power reconfiguration in Europe. The Balkan nation of Romania recently boasted about its capacity to produce enough ammunition for its internal needs and even satiate the corner demand in the region. According to Economy Minister Florin Spătaru, Romania will continue to invest in the defence sector in 2023 in order to gain the capacity to create adequate ammunition for its own needs as well as fulfil regional demand.
Furthermore, Romanian Minister of National Defense recently attended the Def Expo Korea 2022 technical and armaments expo in Seoul and held official meetings with his South Korean equivalent and the president of the National Defense Commission. The Romanian Minister of National Defense welcomed Korean defense companies to take part in competitions for future financing initiatives of the Romanian Army.
The Romanian government seeks to revitalize the country’s defense sector through a series of collaborations with “prominent foreign corporations,” separate from public funding. By the end of the procedure, local defense enterprises should be able to provide the Defense Ministry with the necessary equipment, consumables, and maintenance. Besides, ties between the Visegrad Group and Romania has strengthened at an unprecedented level. For the uninitiated, Visegrad Group is a cultural and political alliance of four Central European countries: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. Romania has been invited to participate in the Visegrád Group on previous occasions and it is indeed a big possibility that the former would endeavor to support the grouping to show a unified front against the EU leadership.
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Because the West’s perspective on the area changed to a despicable one towards Eastern European countries, it has enraged its own longtime friends and allies in the region, forcing them to take such an action. The consequences of such stepmotherly treatment have come with a huge cost for NATO. This context is necessary to understand the recent development between Moldova and Romania.
