The European Union as a normative power and conflict transformation in Moldova: A "force for good"?

Abstract

European Union (EU) elites frequently refer to EU norms and values and tend to see the EU as a 'force for good' in conflict situations. The 'frozen conflict' between the Moldovan central state and the separatist Transnistrian region has caused 'soft' security problems in the EU's immediate neighbourhood and has increasingly engaged its attention. This article examines how the EU as a normative power can affect conflict transformation in Moldova. The theoretical framework that guides the analysis assumes that the EU can influence conflict transformation through the mechanisms of integration and association. The key argument is that the EU can have an impact on conflict transformation in the case of Moldova, but it does not use its full potential.