The Moldovan President, Maia Sandu, announced on Wednesday 4 May, on the occasion of the visit to Chisinau of the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, that her country, after submitting the first part of its EU accession questionnaire on 22 April, would complete the second part “in the coming days”.
“We hope to get a positive opinion from the European institutions on our application for membership”, she said, adding that the European Commission could deliver its opinion in June. It will then be up to the President of the European Council to decide whether to put a discussion on the subject on the agenda of the European Council.
“The integration process is complex and long. We understand that. We are not looking for shortcuts, we are not looking for concessions in procedures, but we want to give our citizens the future they deserve as soon as possible”, said Ms Sandu.
For his part, Mr Michel recalled that “enlargement (was) a strong political instrument to clarify our vision of the future of Europe”. Even before Moldova’s accession to the EU, he advocated bringing the country closer to the Union. “It is our European duty to help and support your country. And to increase our support for your stability, security, territorial integrity and sovereignty. Our economic and political support must continue hand in hand”, the President of the European Council promised Ms Sandu.
While stressing the support the EU has already given to her country, which is hosting more than 90,000 Ukrainian refugees, the Moldovan president called on the Union to do more. She called for the opening of the European market to Moldovan fruit and other commodities that can no longer access eastern markets, which are closed due to the war in Ukraine. “Lifting customs duties on Moldovan products and broadening the categories of products admitted to the European market would be a huge help to businesses affected by the war”, she said. She also requested authorisations for Moldovan carriers to cross the EU.
Ms Sandu also called for EU support for Moldova’s accession to the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) and for the country to benefit from the end of roaming charges with the EU.
Without going back on these demands, Mr Michel promised that the EU would help the country build resilience and deal with the consequences of the war in Ukraine by continuing its humanitarian support, providing additional military equipment and helping Moldova counter disinformation and resist cyber attacks. He added that the EU would continue to support Chisinau on the path of reforms related to the rule of law, “in particular the ongoing reform of judicial governance bodies and the fight against corruption”. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)