The European Broadcasting Union (EBU)*┬а today criticised the actions of authorities in Moldova over the past week to restrict reporting from the country. Romanian journalists in particular seem to have been singled out, and either refused entry to Moldova, or have been harassed in the country.
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Declaration of Association of Historians on violations of national and international laws by the communist authorities of Moldova

«In the context of mass protests in the Republic of Moldova, generated by the announcement of results of parliamentary elections held on the 5th of April 2009, Communist authorities defied national and international legislation by using extralegal actions of Stalinist type against the peaceful protesters on the 7th of April, such as indiscriminate violence, arrests and torture, resulting in deaths as well as serious physical and psychological traumas.»
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Spain in 2005 «normalised» 600,000 irregular migrants. The move stopped short of granting EU citizenship but did give permanent residency and right to work, with Madrid at the time facing strong criticism for failing to consult EU colleagues.

Poland at one point mooted offering citizenship to up to 1 million ethnic Poles left in Ukraine, Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan following post-World War II changes to its borders and Stalinist relocations.

But Warsaw feared potential complications in its bid to join the EU’s passport-free Schengen zone. The final deal in 2007 — the right for ethnic Poles to apply for a «Polish Card» — limited rights to a refund of visa costs, access to healthcare and a cheap bus pass.

«People still haven’t quite forgiven Spain. You see that in the little obstacles put in their way during day-to-day talks on immigration matters,» one EU diplomat said. «The EU institutions have a long memory.»

EU states in any case collectively naturalise over 730,000 people a year in what amounts to an annual mini-enlargement, bigger in scale than the individual populations of the smallest member states, Malta and Luxembourg.

In 2006 — the latest data available — the UK and France each gave citizenship to some 150,000 people, while Germany gave passports to 125,000 individuals. But mass-scale naturalisation on the Romania-Moldova model would be unprecedented.

ANDREW RETTMAN

http://euobserver.com/9/27953/?rk=1

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS — EU institutions are appalled at Romania’s proposal to give citizenship to up to 1 million Moldovans - a project that could damage Romania’s standing inside the union.

If the scheme goes ahead and Moldova retaliates by making dual citizenship illegal, the EU country would effectively annex one quarter of its neighbour’s population in a scenario described by one EU official as «frightening» in terms of regional
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ANDREW RETTMAN

16.04.2009 @ 09:31 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS — A special gathering of MEPs together with the Romanian foreign minister in Brussels on Wednesday (15 April) said Moldova should be invited to an EU summit for eastern partners, despite recent violence.

«The EU will defend the rights of the democratic opposition, NGOs, those detained and killed in prison. On that we shall not compromise. But it is not through isolation that we can run our eastern policy,» Polish centre-right MEP Jacek Saryusz-Wolski said.

The 7 April protests: MEPs said a police crackdown should not see Moldova
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