On Thursday 5 May the European Parliament called on the EU to give more support to Moldova, which is bearing the brunt of the war in Ukraine.
“The longer the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine lasts, the more humanitarian, security and socio-economic assistance the Republic of Moldova will require”, the Parliament warns in the joint resolution of the EPP, S&D, Renew Europe, Greens/EFA and ECR groups, which it adopted by a show of hands.
MEPs therefore call on the Commission to continue its humanitarian aid and to further increase financial and technical assistance to Moldova, including through a new proposal for macrofinancial assistance.
MEPs also call for proposals to ensure full liberalisation of transport and trade between Moldova and the EU, such as suspending import duties on all Moldovan exports, increasing quotas for Moldovan agricultural products and facilitating access for Moldovan labour (see EUROPE 12945/5).
They also ask for more support for Chisinau related to energy. In the debate preceding the vote, Dragoş Tudorache (Renew Europe, Romania) recalled that the country’s almost total energy dependence on Russia was putting pressure on its economy and political stability. “We cannot leave Moldova out of the solutions to be applied at European level”, he pleaded. Anna Fotyga (ECR, Poland) felt that Chisinau should be helped to break ties with Russia, including on hydrocarbons and from a financial point of view.
The European Parliament also stressed the need to continue to strengthen security and defence cooperation, calling for urgent assistance to build the capacity of the Moldovan armed forces.
Giving candidate status
The European Parliament is also advocating that Chisinau be granted candidate country status. “It would be a very strong political message to all pro-European forces in this country”, said Juozas Olekas (S&D, Lithuania). According to the Parliament, the European Council should give “a clear and firm political signal” at its June summit regarding the country’s European path.
Speaking to MEPs, Commissioner for Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi said that while there was no clear timetable for the adoption of the opinion, the Commission was preparing “to ensure that this can be done before the European Council on 24-25 June”.
In the meantime, the Parliament says the institutions should continue to work towards Moldova’s integration into the European single market and to strengthen sectoral cooperation, while also encouraging the country to continue on its path of reforms. “The President, the government and the Moldovan Parliament are united in implementing reforms that will bring Moldova closer to the EU: judicial reform, the fight against corruption, improving the standard of living of the population”, stressed Siegfried Muresan (EPP, Romania).
See the resolution: https://aeur.eu/f/1it (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)