The European Union and Moldova deepened - once again - their relations at their second bilateral summit, on Monday 22 June in Brussels.
“The progress made by Moldova on its path towards accession to the European Union since obtaining candidate country status is truly impressive. I encourage you to continue this reform momentum and to strengthen Moldova’s alignment with the Community acquis”, the President of the European Council, António Costa, stressed at the end of the summit.
The joint declaration published at the summit notably highlights the reform of the justice sector, on which Moldova is currently working. The candidate country is also carrying out a tax reform to reduce the informal economy.
At an event organised by CEPS after the summit, Moldovan President Maia Sandu specified that her country would tackle the “very unpopular” reform of local government, which should make it possible to reduce by two thirds the number of local authorities, “because the current system is very fragmented”.
At the summit, António Costa, Maia Sandu and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen came back on the opening, one week earlier, of the first cluster of accession negotiation chapters (see EUROPE 13889/29). Maia Sandu specified that her country was ready to open all the other clusters immediately, a development also called for by the European Commission.
At CEPS, the Moldovan President explained that her country would be ready “to technically close chapters by the end of the year”. According to her, Moldova wants to sign its EU accession treaty “by 2028”.
Strengthening support for Chişinău
The presidents also came back on the country’s progress regarding the implementation of the Moldova Growth Plan.
The country has already carried out 28 of the 30 requested reforms. “An additional €528 million in financial support from the facility will be unlocked if Moldova continues at a steady pace and achieves all the reform steps due in 2026”, the joint declaration states. “This means better roads and bridges, improved health infrastructure, better access to finance for businesses and more opportunities for citizens”, Ursula von der Leyen stressed. Despite EU support, Maia Sandu acknowledged that her country’s economic situation was not good.
According to a European Commission press release, during the summit, a new investment of €232.7 million, backed by the EU and included in the growth plan, was announced for the rehabilitation of the Porumbrei-Comrat road. Ursula von der Leyen also promised that the EU and Moldova would continue their cooperation to multiply energy interconnections — thus making it possible to channel energy where it is needed — and to improve the energy efficiency of buildings.
The summit also provided an opportunity to discuss bilateral cooperation in terms of security, defence and the fight against foreign interference and disinformation. In this context, the European Commission announced a new support measure of €11 million to strengthen Moldova’s resilience in the face of hybrid attacks and an investment of €17 million in border infrastructure, which will support Moldova’s security and territorial integrity. Ursula von der Leyen announced that the EU was preparing a new aid programme of €120 million for 2026 under the European Peace Facility. Maia Sandu also called for Moldova’s defence industry to be integrated into the EU industrial base.
Moreover, the Commission supports Moldova’s full association with the next Erasmus+ programme and plans to extend the rail pass DiscoverEU to young Moldovans in 2027.
On the sidelines of the summit, the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre and the Moldovan Ministry of Education and Research signed a research framework agreement. Letters of intent on Moldova’s automotive sector, medical technologies and the development of an innovative ecosystem around Moldova’s HiTech park were also initialled.
To see the EU/Moldova Summit Statement: https://aeur.eu/f/mhk (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)