State of the Union: Europe's divisions over the Middle East
This edition of State of the Union focuses on the divisions within the EU over the Middle East, western hesitations to arm Ukraine, Moldova's growing ties with the EU and the release of a commemorative coin to remember D-Day.
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00:00Hello and welcome to State of the Union, I'm Stefan Grobe in Brussels.
00:10This week we witnessed deep divisions between EU member states over the ongoing conflict
00:14in the Middle East once again.
00:17The reason was the decision by the International Criminal Court to seek arrest warrants against
00:22Israel's Prime Minister and his Defense Chief, as well as against three Hamas leaders.
00:28Reactions ranged from welcoming the Court's decision, as did Belgium, France and Slovenia,
00:34to rebuking it in various forms, as did Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic.
00:41The disunity was also on display when Ireland and Spain, together with Norway, moved to
00:46recognize Palestine as an independent state, something that is being discussed for quite
00:53a while.
00:54Quite frankly, because we must keep the hope, the dream and the destination of a two-state
00:58solution alive at a time when sadly others are working to undermine that.
01:02Ireland would have much preferred to have done this as part of a peace process, but
01:07we can't wait forever.
01:08It's an awful long time, many decades since the Oslo Accords.
01:12There is more European unity regarding Ukraine on the surface.
01:17But when it comes to arms shipments, action hasn't always matched words.
01:22Western allies are taking too long to make key decisions, Ukraine complained, at a time
01:27when Russia seems to be stepping up its offensive in the northeast.
01:31In the face of relentless Russian attacks, Germany's foreign minister, during a visit
01:36to Kiev, warned that the country needed to boost its air defenses, with Western help,
01:42of course.
01:43Some of the rockets and missiles could be brought down by air defense, but obviously
01:48not all of them.
01:49And this is why I'm calling worldwide to increase the air defense support.
01:54Watching the war very closely is Moldova, a country sandwiched between EU and NATO member
02:00Romania and Ukraine.
02:03The former Soviet Republic has long been defying warnings from Moscow that closer Western integration
02:08could see it face Ukraine's fate.
02:11Nonetheless, Moldova signed a defense partnership with Brussels this week, a step designed to
02:17tie the country closer to the EU.
02:20The country is a candidate to join the bloc, and formal talks are expected to begin next month.
02:26Joining me now is Daniela Vidaiku, executive director of the Moldova Soros Foundation.
02:31Welcome to the program.
02:33Thank you.
02:35So how significant are the EU accession talks for the Moldovan public?
02:41How do people see EU membership?
02:44Well, the upcoming intergovernmental conference to be held in the nearest future is the most
02:49important political event for the pro-European Moldovan population, while the opening of
02:55the European negotiation is very much expected by the population.
02:59In recent years, Moldova is an inclusive society, managed to achieve very good milestones in
03:06implementing national and domestic reforms so that the country and the society is transformed
03:13and the negotiations should really move forward to be reversible.
03:18For Moldovans, as you asked, both for those that are living in the country, but also for
03:22those that are living abroad in the EU member states, holding already the European citizenship,
03:29the European integration of Moldova is very important as a development plan.
03:34And the most probably important strategic plan since its independence.
03:39We hear a lot about Russian disinformation.
03:42Tell us what's happening.
03:44Well, unfortunately, Moldova is one of the most affected European countries by the Russian
03:48propaganda, which is very much coordinated by the Russian parties, the Russian media,
03:53the Russian social networks and influencers.
03:57Since the Russian invasion into Ukraine, Moldova started to face a very complicated, complex
04:04and aggressive hybrid war that undermines its development, its social cohesion, independence
04:11and security.
04:12And the goal actually is to increase the population polarization and skepticism towards the European
04:18integration of the country and to keep the country under the Russian control, actually.
04:23So the fake news, the disinformation, the Russian manipulation and interference targets
04:28social or economic or political Moldovan vulnerabilities to keep the country in poverty
04:35and to undermine the European development of the country.
04:39There is a constitutional referendum coming up and there will be elections in October.
04:44How are these campaigns going?
04:46To what extent is the EU part of the debate?
04:50Yes, indeed.
04:50In October 2024, Moldova is going to host two important electoral events.
04:56Both events are considered to be very relevant and very crucial for the Moldovan future and
05:02are going to happen in the same day.
05:04We have the European government and the president who announced her intention to run for the
05:10second mandate, civil society and media who are supporting the European integration.
05:15And we have the pro-Russian parties and pro-Russian media that are trying to convince the population
05:21not to go to the referendum, to boycott the referendum or to vote against the referendum.
05:27All right.
05:27Danila Vidaiku, executive director of the Moldova Soros Foundation.
05:31Thanks for coming on the show today.
05:34Thank you very much and good luck for your elections.
05:37We wouldn't be talking about democracy in Europe if it hadn't been for one single historic
05:43event.
05:44I'm talking about the Allied landings in Normandy that were the beginning of the end of World
05:49War II and the liberation of Europe from the Nazis.
05:53In a few weeks, the Allies will mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day as a tribute to the fallen
05:59and to surviving veterans.
06:01The British Royal Mint unveiled a commemorative coin depicting soldiers disembarking from
06:06a landing craft.
06:08More than two million soldiers, sailors, pilots, medics and other people from a dozen countries
06:14were involved in Operation Overlord.
06:17And nearly 160,000 troops hit the code-named beaches of Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juneau and Sword
06:26on June the 6th, 1944.
06:31A few days ago, to mark the coin's release, its design was recreated in Normandy.
06:37On Gold Beach, quite appropriate.
06:40At 35 meters across, the sand art served as a reminder of the bravery and sacrifices of
06:46Allied troops for a few days.
06:49The coin, on the other hand, is permanent.
06:53That's it for this edition.
06:54I'm Stefan Grober.
06:55Thank you for watching.
06:57Have an excellent week.