A direct contact among the University students from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Moldova inspired students to thought-sharing. Short essay bellow shows what the students have to say on the topic of European Integration and Reform Experience of the Visegrad countries and how it relates to Moldova’s European path.

Republic of Moldova
Title: Can the Experience of Visegrad Countries be useful to Moldova’s European Integration?
Author: Dorina Pralea
University: Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova, Faculty of International Economic Relations, 3rd year.

The idea of most of the people that the world is coming together is a cliché I really consider a wrong one, because I think that a true balance between work and lifecomes with knowing that our life, activities are integrated, not separated.

Generally speaking, everything that surrounds us and we are the result of integrity. Starting with the cosmos, every ecosystem, every living organism, i.e. living nature and ending with unnatural things as work areas, organizations, institutions, all are in close dependence and interaction, which is possible only because of the extensive integration process.

Regarding the global economic integration, it is not a new phenomenon. Some communication and trade took place between distant civilizations even in ancient times. Since the travels of Marco Polo seven centuries ago, global economic integration—through trade, factor movements, and communication of economically useful knowledge and technology—has been on a generally rising trend. This process of globalization in the economic domain has not always proceeded smoothly. Nor has it always benefited all whom it has affected. But, despite occasional interruptions, such as following the collapse of the Roman Empire or during the interwar period in this century, the degree of economic integration among different societies around the world has generally been rising. Indeed, during the past half century, the pace of economic globalization (including the reversal of the interwar decline) has been particularly rapid. And, with the exception of human migration, global economic integration today is greater than it ever has been and is likely to deepen going forward.

Three fundamental factors have affected the process of economic globalization and are likely to continue driving it in the future. First, improvements in the technology of transportation and communication have reduced the costs of transporting goods, services, and factors of production and of communicating economically useful knowledge and technology. Second, the tastes of individuals and societies have generally, but not universally, favored taking advantage of the opportunities provided by declining costs of transportation and communication through increasing economic integration. Third, public policies have significantly influenced the character and pace of economic integration, although not always in the direction of increasing economic integration.

European integration is one of the main aspects of contemporary integration processes, and in the case of EU can be considered the base of the European integration. Usually, the processes of economic integration are highlighted at the regional level, as a result is obtained more advanced forms of integration – this is the case of Visegrad Group. So, the fact that the idea of creating closer cooperation among Central European countries is closely connected with the idea of a “return to Europe “ – because as we know, when the V4 was established, political leaders of the Visegrad countries faced several important challenges, first of all, they wanted to overcome their communist heritage and artificial division of the European continent – is very proper for our country.

Visegrad 4 countries, fortunately, have a successful experience, due to the fact that the visegrad cooperation achieves its primary goal as a whole and as individual countries, the accession to the European Union. Also, it is very gratifying that the Visegrad Group reached many other general aims as theexclusion of bilateral tensions from the V4 agenda, continuous cooperation in the area of energy security, transfer of know-how and the best practices (due to which the V4 can provide added value compared to other regional initiatives in the EU), etc..

In conclusion I can say that all the achievements of V4 mentioned above can be very useful practices to Moldova’s European Integration – which is the most adequate and fundamental path for the stabilization of all sectors of our economy, i.e. sustainable economic development and completion of the transition to a market economy by promoting trade, investment and harmonious economic relations, for the improvement of the country’s lifestyle, for the increasing of many economic indexes and of population welfare, for the implementation of the european standardization and normalization and of the quality management principles, for the strengthening democracy