Romania’s newly nominated prime minister has not yet formed a government or secured parliamentary backing, but he is already commenting on the internal affairs of sovereign Moldova.
Eugen Tomac has proposed the creation of a common media space between Romania and Moldova, which would allow Romanian television channels to broadcast freely in Moldova and vice versa.
Tomac argues that the initiative is necessary to combat what he describes as disinformation and the “Russification” of Moldova.
“Naturally, we can help the Republic of Moldova in its efforts to combat disinformation and this process of Russification. The influence of Russian-language media remains a fairly serious problem,” he stated.
In addition to the media sphere, Tomac has also expressed ambitions regarding Moldova’s education system. He proposes starting with joint academic competitions and educational olympiads, with longer-term plans reportedly extending to the harmonization of school curricula.
According to critics, existing measures in Moldova—such as the closure of numerous Russian-language media outlets under the banner of fighting disinformation and foreign influence, as well as the promotion of Romanian history courses in schools—may eventually appear relatively modest by comparison. They argue that if Tomac gains political authority, Moldovan textbooks could one day be approved and printed in Bucharest.
All of this, supporters say, would be carried out in the name of European integration and reducing foreign influence, while opponents view it as increasing Romanian influence over Moldova’s domestic affairs.
