European Parliament
Józef Pinior,
on behalf of the PSE Group.
(PL)
Commissioner, the so-called Moldovan Republic of Transnistria, which covers one fifth of the territory of the independent state of Moldova and the majority of its industry, is being recognised as a state despite international opposition. I urge you to pay attention to the violations of human rights, media restrictions and the populist-authoritarian system in Transnistria, which flies the flag of the former Soviet Republic of Moldova.
Non-governmental organisations are having particular problems functioning in Transnistria. The new political initiative of President Igor Smirnov and the international youth corporation Proryv is modelled on Nashi, the pro-Putin youth movement in Russia. Proryv is an extreme populist organisation whose aim is not to allow democratic changes in Transnistria. Its ideology is based on a Soviet/Slavophile ideology of pro-Russian nationalism. Proryv is associated with the Transnistrian section of Vladimir Zhirinovsky’s Russian party, and collaborates closely with the Eurasian Russian movement.
The European Union must take a closer interest in the situation in Transnistria from the viewpoint of human rights and democratic development in this part of Europe.

