Action 2012

Action 2012 (Romanian: Acțiunea 2012), officially Unionist Platform Action 2012[1] (Romanian: Platforma Unionistă Acțiunea 2012) or Civic Platform Action 2012[2] (Platforma Civică Acțiunea 2012), is a coalition of non-governmental organizations striving for the unification of Moldova and Romania operating in both Moldova and Romania. It was established on 17 April 2011, bringing together more than 30 unionist NGOs from Romania, Moldova, the United States and several other European countries. Action 2012 takes its name from the year 2012, which marked the 200th anniversary of the annexation of Bessarabia by the Russian Empire away from the Romanian principality of Moldavia.[3][4] The coalition was founded by George Simion, then a Romanian activist who later became a politician.[5]

Action 2012
Acțiunea 2012
Formation17 April 2011 (2011-04-17)
FounderGeorge Simion
TypeNGO
Location
WebsiteOfficial website

Action 2012 has undertaken a large number of activities and initiatives to support the unification of Moldova and Romania.[6] On 10 February 2015, by the initiative of Action 2012, the Friends of the Union Parliamentary Group (Grupul Parlamentar Prietenii Unirii) was created. This entity sought dialogue between parliamentarians of all Romanian parties to ensure the approval of projects between Moldova and Romania and in support of Romanian diaspora.[7] As of 2017, over 100 members of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of Romania, which form the Parliament of Romania, were members of the group.[8] Furthermore, in 2016, Action 2012 coordinated the project Know Your Country (Cunoaște-ți Țara), which aimed to take 100,000 Moldovans on trips to Romania in the summer and fall of that year.[9] A similar project, Know Your Brothers (Cunoaște-ți frații), was established by Action 2012 in 2019. This program organized trips from Romania to Moldova.[10] In 2018, Action 2012 was involved in the organization of the Centenary March, a march that intended to cover 1,300 kilometres (810 miles) starting in Alba Iulia in Romania on 1 July and ending in Chișinău in Moldova on 1 September.[11]

Action 2012 also participated on the 2015–2016 protests in Moldova, organizing pro-unification rallies. During these protests, on 14 May 2015, Simion was expelled from Moldova and banned from entering the country for 5 years for "endangering national security" through his activities; the Romanian embassy in Chișinău asked the Moldovan authorities for explanations on this decision.[12][13] His ban was lifted on 18 September, although he received another one in 2016[14] and two others in 2018.[15][16]

References
  1. "Symbolic reenactment of the "Bridge of Flowers": 1,000 young people from the Republic of Moldova cross the Prut River, march for the unification with Romania". Nine O'Clock. 12 July 2015.
  2. "George Simion was expelled from Moldova. He can't enter Moldova for five years". Publika TV. 2 October 2018.
  3. "webRelease: S-a lansat platforma civică ACȚIUNEA 2012 ce susține unirea Republicii Moldova cu România". HotNews (in Romanian). 17 April 2011.
  4. "Mișcări unioniste din Republica Moldova". Adevărul Moldova (in Romanian). 23 September 2015.
  5. Năstase, Alexandru (27 May 2019). "Cine este George Simion, candidatul independent care are mai multe procente decât PSD la votul din diaspora". Fanatik (in Romanian).
  6. Modiga, Iulia (17 April 2019). "17 aprilie 2011: Ziua în care unioniștii au constituit Acțiunea 2012". InfoPrut (in Romanian).
  7. ""Prietenii Unirii" preocupați de românii din Republica Moldova" (in Romanian). Agora Media. 17 February 2015.
  8. Cheptine, Andriana (29 May 2017). "Grupul "Prietenii Unirii" – constituit de peste 100 de senatori și deputați din actualul legislativ de la București". Tribuna.md (in Romanian).
  9. "Cunoaște-ți Țara: Peste 1.000 de basarabeni – în vizită la Timișoara". Timiș Online (in Romanian). 16 July 2016.
  10. "După "Cunoaște-ți țara", unioniștii demarează campania "Cunoaște-ți frații"! Vrei să vizitezi Basarabia? ÎNSCRIE-TE PENTRU EXCURSIE!". Tomis News (in Romanian). 26 March 2019.
  11. "FOTO-VIDEO: Marșul Centenarului – Tricolor de 100 de metri întins în fața Catedralei Reîntregirii. Flacăra Unirii, aprinsă la Alba Iulia, a plecat spre Chișinău". Ziarul Unirea (in Romanian). 1 July 2018.
  12. "Thousands rally in Moldova for unification with Romania". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 16 May 2015.
  13. "George Simion, liderul platformei unioniste Actiunea 2012, a fost expulzat din Republica Moldova/ MAE: Ambasada Romaniei la Chisinau a solicitat clarificari". HotNews (in Romanian). 13 May 2015.
  14. Vlas, Cristi (6 February 2016). "The ban on George Simion was lifted by the authorities of Moldova". Moldova.org.
  15. Ceapai, Alla (28 August 2018). "Grupul unionist a fost lăsat să intre în R. Moldova, nu și George Simion". Radio Europa Liberă Moldova (in Romanian).
  16. Gațcan, Diana (2 October 2018). "Unionistul George Simion, declarat persoană indezirabilă în R. Moldova pentru 5 ani". Ziarul de Gardă (in Romanian).
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