On Friday 8 December, Romania's Foreign Affairs Minister Teodor Meleșcanu said the three most advanced countries in their relations with the European Union as part of the Eastern Partnership (the Czech Republic, Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine) were practically EU accession candidates.
"The three countries are, practically, but not legally, accession candidates", he said in a meeting with journalist (including from EUROPE) in Bucharest.
In Meleșcanu's view, "it is clear that those who signed the association agreement look forward to the possibility of becoming an EU member". "But becoming a member requires very serious work on the domestic level. The desire to become a member is not enough", he said.
When asked about the possibility of these member states, especially Moldova, coming closer to the EU during the Romanian Presidency of the EU Council at the start of 2019, Meleșcanu said he did "not believe that in 2019 an invitation to join the EU could be envisaged". However, in his view, the EU is practically obliged "morally and legally, to give a clear prospect" of accession "without specifying in detail when that could come about".
Meleșcanu stated that one of his country's key foreign policies concerned Moldova's European path. "Romania is one of the biggest supporters of Moldova's EU accession", he said.
A privileged geographical position. Situated between the Eastern Partnership countries and those of the Western Balkans, Romania also makes a priority of EU enlargement to the Western Balkans countries.
In Meleșcanu's view, the Western Balkans are making progress on their European path, and he gave the example of the dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo, and also of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) moving in the direction of Greece and Bulgaria. "All this demonstrates that we are in a new period as regards the Western Balkans in their relations with the EU", he said.
Meleșcanu pointed out that the countries that were going to take on the upcoming presidencies of the EU Council starting in January – Bulgaria, Austria, Romania and Croatia (with the exception of Finland from 2020) – had a direct link with the region and thus "a better understanding of the problems of the region and an interest in promoting the Western Balkans".
Romania is nevertheless one of the five countries that does not recognise the independence of Kosovo. "We have nothing against the Kosovans (...) but our position must be legal and clear due to the way in which the state was created. I think that after the events in Catalonia, this position is endorsed by more member states than before. Many countries are wondering how to deal with such questions", Meleșcanu said, adding that his country had never created any difficulties for Pristina as regards its rapprochement with the EU.
"At the time Serbia and Kosovo agree on a certain solution – that's why we appreciate dialogue, I am sure that Romania will take account of this element in our legal position on Kosovo", he said. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)