Moldavië en Georgië verwachten toekomst in Europese Unie (en)

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The majority of citizens in Georgia and Moldova believe their countries should join the EU, a new report released on Thursday (19 May) by Gallup and the International Republican Institute (IRI) shows.

The survey says 77 per cent of Moldovans and 80 per cent of Georgians think their countries' future lies in the 25-nation bloc.

Less than 50 per cent in both countries (33 per cent in Georgia and 40 per cent in Moldova) think they should remain members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

"People in these countries have always had a European identity, they feel themselves Europeans", the coordinator of the study, Dr Rasa Alisauskiene, told the EUobserver.

However, most of them believe it is possible to keep good relations both with Russia and the EU, and see Russia as a key partner, she specified.

But if they had to choose, "the EU is a clear preference", Dr Alisauskiene added.

People in Georgia are optimistic about the probability of EU membership for their country, which may be explained by the political changes in Georgia, according to the researcher.

On the other hand, Moldovans are rather pessimistic, due to the excessive poverty of the country.

"Emotional understanding" of the EU

Both Georgia and Moldova "emotionally believe they can be members soon", Dr Rasa Alisauskiene, who is also the director of Baltic surveys within the Gallup organisation, pointed out.

But they have too high expectations concerning the EU, she indicated.

"They perceive the EU as some miracle, and want to join immediately. They do not think about the economic aspects, for example. It reminds me of the Baltic countries 15 years ago, just after they obtained independence", explained Dr Alisauskiene, a Lithuanian herself.

According to the researcher, more information should be provided to the citizens of these countries, both from the EU and from their national governments, in order to make their choice a "rational" decision.

"When people in the Baltics had to make up their minds (concerning EU membership), it was the same situation. In the beginning, their choice was just based on emotion. But the more the people became informed, the more reasonable their choice was", the analyst said.

The study was carried out in Georgia, Moldova and Kazakhstan via face-to-face interviews between June and November 2004.

However, the third country, Kazakhstan, points to neighbouring Russia and China as its main partners.

The three countries have signed Partnership and Cooperation Agreements with the EU, while Georgia and Moldova are also part of the EU's neighbourhood policy.

Moldova signed an action plan with the EU on 22 February, aimed at strengthening its relations with the bloc.