The European Parliament,

–   having regard to its previous resolutions on the Republic of Moldova, in particular that of 30 April 2009 on the situation in the Republic of Moldova following the parliamentary elections of 5 April 2009,

–   having regard to the Final Statement and Recommendations of the EU-Republic of Moldova Parliamentary Cooperation Committee meeting of 16-17 February 2010,

–   having regard to the ongoing negotiations on the new Association Agreement between the EU and Republic of Moldova which started on 12 January 2010 aimed at replacing the current Association Agreement signed on 28 November 1994 and entered in force on 1 July 1998,

–   having regard to the adoption by the European Parliament of the decision to approve a macro-financial assistance to Moldova of 90 million Euro,

–   having regard to the statements of the High representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on Moldova/Transnistria of 17 May 2010, on restrictive measures against the leadership of the Transnistrian region of 27 September 2010 and on the ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court by the Republic of Moldova of 14 October 2010,

–   having regard to the EU-Republic of Moldova ENP Action Plan endorsed by the EU-Moldova Cooperation Council on 22 February 2005 and the mid-term assessment of the implementation of the Action Plan in November 2006,

–   having regard to the Joint Declaration of the Prague Eastern Partnership Summit of 7 May 2009,

–   having regard to the recognition by the Republic of Moldova of the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court by signing up to its founding Rome Statute which will enter into force on 1 January 2011,

–   having regard to the Statement of Preliminary Findings and Conclusions by the International Election Observation Mission for the 29 July 2009 early parliamentary elections in the Republic of Moldova,

–   having regard to the OSCE/ODIHR Needs Assessment Mission Report of 13-15 September 2010 for the 2010 early parliamentary elections,

–   having regard to Rule 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas the Eastern Neighbourhood Policy recognises the European aspirations of the Republic of Moldova and the importance of the deep historical, cultural and economic links of that country with the EU Member States,

B.  whereas the EU-Republic of Moldova Action Plan aims at encouraging political and institutional reforms in the Republic of Moldova, including in the field of democracy and human rights, the rule of law, independence of the judiciary and freedom of the media, as well as good-neighbourly relations,

C.  whereas the Republic of Moldova is a member of the Council of Europe and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe and has thus committed itself to genuinely promote democracy and respect for human rights,

D.  whereas the Government of the Republic of Moldova reaffirmed its readiness to further engage with all its partners in order to find a viable and sustainable solution to the Transnistrian issue, including with the help of the EU,

E.  whereas following the parliamentary elections that took place in the Republic of Moldova on 29 July 2009 any attempt to elect a new President failed despite the referendum to amend the constitution on 5 September 2010 due to an insufficient turnout of voters as opposed to the necessary 33% for the referendum to be considered valid,

F.  whereas the early parliamentary elections due to be held on 28 November 2010 are the result of a long-lasting political crisis triggered by the failures of two parliaments to elect a new head of state,

G.  whereas the legal framework for the conduct of elections has undergone a number of revisions since the last parliamentary elections, many of which address previous recommendations by the OSCE/ODIHR and the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe,

H.  whereas the Central Election Commission continues to take measures which aim to improve the quality of voters’ lists and prevent multiple voting this continues to be a contentious issue in recent elections and the lack of confidence in their quality persists,

I.   whereas unlike previous elections the media environment has improved and is being regarded as providing the public of the Republic of Moldova with a plurality of views and information including the public broadcaster which was criticised in the past for its biased coverage,

1.  Welcomes the signing of the protocol on the general principles of the Republic of Moldova’s participation in the European Union’s programmes in September 2010 which it deems necessary, significant and of priority importance for attaining the goals set for further European integration; considers this step as a good indicator of dynamic relations between the Republic of Moldova and the European Union, which have been developing at an unprecedented pace over the past year;

2.  Welcomes the official decision taken in the course of VIII Ministerial Council meeting of the Energy Community on South-Eastern Europe, held on 24 September 2010 in Skopje which entrusts the Republic of Moldova the Chairmanship of the Energy Community; supports the Republic of Moldova’s priorities of elaborating the general frames for promotion of investments in modernisation and development of energy infrastructure, delivering of energy efficiency and development of researches on EC oil area;

3.  Welcomes the efforts being made between the Republic of Moldova and Romania to conclude and sign the border agreement following the upcoming elections in Moldova; calls on the government of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova to resolve the matter and implement the agreement of 1998 on state border signed by the two countries;

4.  Welcomes the granting of macro-financial assistance in the form of a grant of a maximum amount of Eur 90 million to the Republic of Moldova with a view to supporting economic stabilisation and alleviating its balance of payments and budgetary needs, as identified in the current IMF programme; stresses the need for the republic of Moldova to step up efforts to implement effectively structural reforms, notably with regard to the rule of law, the fight against corruption and the business and investment climate;

5.  Supports the initiative of the ´Friends of Moldova´ which include several Foreign Ministers from Member States and the EU Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Fule aimed at expressing clear EU support for and solidarity with the Republic of Moldova and as a clear signal of a strong commitment to support the country to address the enormous challenges it faces; believes that this initiative will effectively assist the Republic of Moldova in implementing internal reforms and bring the country closer to the European Union;

6.  Stresses the need of increased engagement by the EU in the Transnistria settlement efforts, including through continued EUBAM support and confidence-building measures, in full respect of territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Moldova, which is vital to ensure greater stability in the county;

7.  Notes that Lithuania will assume the chairmanship of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in 2011; encourages Lithuania to put the Transnistrian issue on top of its priority agenda and to continue to support the settlement initiatives on the principles of fairness and transparency;

8.  Supports the aspirations and determination of the Republic of Moldova’s commitments to achieve the goals of the association and economic integration with the EU; reiterates its wish to move forward with further concrete measures to ensure that reforms in the Republic of Moldova can be sustained, with a particular focus on negotiations of the future Association Agreement, progress towards economic integration and visa dialogue;

9.  Regrets that the internal political instability in the Republic of Moldova denied the ruling coalition the time to implement its pro-European options needed to achieve the necessary progress in the country; encourages all stakeholders to unite and work together towards achieving internal political stability; is of the opinion that the upcoming elections constitutes the opportunity between a pro-European vision or a progressive optimistic future for the country;

10. Encourages all the political forces to avoid unnecessary confrontations and concentrate on developing a broad vision for the Republic of Moldova supported by both the from both the left/right spectrum and ethno-cultural community with the aim of directing the country towards achieving its European goals;

11. Regrets that while many OSCE commitments were met in the 29 July 2009 early parliamentary elections, the campaign environment was negatively affected by subtle pressure, intimidation, misuse of administrative resources and bias in media coverage; hopes that the upcoming elections due to be held on 28 November 2010 will steer clear of such behaviour to ensure a democratically elected government which will ensure stability in the country;

12. Notes that there has been an improvement since the July 2009 parliamentary elections related to the procedures for handling election-related complaints and appeals based on the recommendations of the OSCE/ODIHR and the Venice Commission and the restrictions on voting rights of prisoners were narrowed down in response to previous recommendations;

13. Takes note of the long-standing issue of voters´ lists and regrets that election stakeholders and domestic observers alleged that incomplete voters´ data, errors, and records of deceased persons, combined with the use of supplementary lists, left room for election fraud in previous elections; understands that work to create a centralised electronic voter register has begun since 2008 and therefore calls on the Central Election Commission to ensure that these practices will be avoided during the upcoming elections;

14. Believes that the 28 November elections will be competitive with distinct political alternatives offered to voters and urges all stakeholders to ensure a calm and democratic process; appeals to public officials administrating the electoral process to act impartially in order to enjoy the trust and confidence of all stakeholders;

15. Welcomes the fact that some parties indicated that they would implement internal quotas to enhance the inclusion of women in their candidate lists and ensure gender balance; appeals to all parties to adopt a formal mechanism to ensure that national minority representatives are also included in their candidate lists;

16. Notes that media pluralism has improved in the Republic of Moldova and many interlocutors affirms increased media freedom and stressed that a broad range of media outlets, including the public broadcaster, provide the public with a plurality of views and information; Calls on all broadcasters to respect the Broadcasting Code which obliges them to provide equitable conditions for electoral contestants and to ensure fair and impartial media coverage;

17. Takes note that the responsibility for the review of complaints related to the broadcasting media was shifted from the Central Election Commission to the Coordinating Council on Audiovisual of Moldova (CCA) and regrets that representatives from across the political spectrum remain doubtful about its effectiveness and the neutrality; calls on the CCA to act impartially and effective to address any complains brought forward in line with the Broadcasting Code;

18. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Commission, Council of Europe, the OSCE, the care-taker Government of the Republic of Moldova and the governments of the Member States.