The Foreign Policy Association (FPA/APE) is implementing the project “Moldova-European Union: learning from the integration experience of the new member states”, with the financial support of European Initiatives Program of Soros Foundation-Moldova.

In that framework the Foreign Policy Association organizes a series of visits to Chisinau of former Chief Negotiators with EU from new Member States in order to facilitate the understanding and transfer of the experience and best practices gained by new members during the European integration process. European guests are sharing their experiences and exchange opinions with several target groups: policy makers, diplomats, officials of different government structures, political analysts, journalists, university teachers, students etc.

The next expert invited by FPA is Mr. Pavel Telicka, former Chief Negotiator of the Czech Republic with EU, first Czech European Commissioner in Prodi’s cabinet. Mr Telicka will come to Chisinau on 13-16 January, 2009. There will be organized a series of meetings and discussions with senior officials, “european coordinators” in line ministries, civil society leaders, other national experts in EU affairs, university professors, students etc.
Even if the European perspective of the Republic of Moldova is not yet formally confirmed by Brussels, the experience of new Member States, including the case of the Czech Republic, as well as personal experience gained during the negotiation process with EU are of maximum relevance and interest.

Such visits are meant to help in promoting a better understanding of EU integration process, its complexity and the specific path to EU and to modernization, which new Member States have followed, in this case the Czech Republic. This will contribute to strengthening Moldova’s European option.

This visit has also the support of the Czech Embassy in Moldova.

In the framework of the same project were organized other visits of former negotiators from Poland, Romania, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia.