On Wednesday 4 June, at the ninth meeting of the Association Council between the two parties, the European Union and Moldova reviewed the progress made in relation to Moldova’s application to join the European Union. Almost a year after the start of accession negotiations, Chisinau is laying claim to a series of promising reforms and resolutely anchoring themselves in Europe.
“EU membership is no longer just a dream. Since the last meeting, Moldova has taken a series of decisive steps. (...) We are showing that we are Europeans”, declared Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean at a press conference.
In particular, Mr Recean recalled the adoption on 9 May of a €1.9 billion growth and reform support plan signed between the EU and Moldova for the period 2025–2027. “Thanks to European support, we will be able to close the gap between Moldova and the Member States”, he said.
As part of this plan, Mr Recean also mentioned the gradual implementation of the integration of Moldovan payment service providers into the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA).
He also reaffirmed his government’s commitment to strengthening the country’s level of independence with regard to energy, developing renewable energies and pursuing interconnection infrastructure projects with the EU. “We are going to consolidate the rule of law”, he added.
For her part, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, hailed the “good progress” made by Moldova “on the path towards the EU”, citing “impressive progress” in tackling corruption, advancing judicial reforms and upholding democratic values.
“Reforms will remain essential to keep momentum up. The path is clear: Moldova belongs to Europe”, Ms Kallas told journalists on Wednesday afternoon.
The High Representative of the Union also stressed the importance of the ‘EU/Moldova’ partnership in the EU’s missions in Somalia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
She also underlined the hospitality shown by Moldovans towards Ukrainian refugees, and announced that a team of experts would be sent to counter any Russian interference in the parliamentary elections scheduled to take place in Moldova on 28 September. (Original version in French by Bernard Denuit)