European Parliament urges Council to start EU accession talks with Moldova
Photo: President of the European Council António Costa (Getty Images)
President of the European Council António Costa received a letter from Members of the European Parliament urging him to immediately start negotiations with Moldova on EU accession, according to Vice President of the European Parliament Victor Negrescu.
Negrescu said that, on his initiative and with the support of 55 Members of the European Parliament from 19 EU countries, a letter was sent to Costa calling for the immediate opening of negotiation clusters with Moldova.
"This is a strong political signal: The European Parliament fully supports Moldova's European path, recognizes its reforms, and calls for the will of its citizens, expressed in the recent elections, to be respected," he emphasized
The letter notes that Moldova's elections confirmed the country's intention to integrate into the European Union.
Negrescu called this a "turning point" and urged Costa to quickly add the start of negotiations with Moldova to the European Council's agenda.
"Such a step would affirm the determination of Moldovan citizens and give them confidence that their European choice is being heard and respected," he said.
Negrescu also noted that such a decision would be a "strategic investment in regional stability, security, and prosperity."
As a reminder, in Moldova's parliamentary elections on September 28, the pro-European Party Action and Solidarity of President Maia Sandu won 50.20% of the vote.
However, Russia attempted to influence the vote by supporting Kremlin-controlled political forces, and numerous reports emerged claiming that overseas polling stations were allegedly mined.
Moldova's EU accession
Earlier, RBC-Ukraine reported that Moldova officially applied for EU membership in March 2022. In June of the same year, the European Commission granted the country candidate status.
The accession process requires Moldova to carry out a series of political, economic, and legal reforms to meet EU standards. The main challenges for the country are related to the economy, fighting corruption, and resolving the Transnistria conflict.
Recently, Ukraine's Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha stated that Ukraine and Moldova should start EU accession negotiations together.
"We need to open the first clusters together with Moldova — together, everything is ready for this," he stressed.
