Romanian president: Moldova may enter EU along with Transnistria
Photo: Romanian President Nicușor Dan (Getty Images)
Moldova’s accession to the European Union could take place together with Transnistria. However, if pro-Russian forces were to win the elections, the integration process would be halted, states Romanian President Nicușor Dan, according to DiGi24.
According to the Romanian leader, the elections in the Republic of Moldova were "necessary," given what could have happened if pro-Russian forces had won.
"Then the accession process would have been halted, as happened in Georgia," he noted.
Nicușor Dan stated that it is very difficult for the Russian army in Transnistria to rotate troops and equipment, but if Moscow-aligned parties had won the elections, the Russian military presence in Transnistria would have been reinforced.
"This entire army could have been strengthened and posed a threat to Moldova, Ukraine, and even Romania. Currently, it is impossible to transport equipment there, situated between Ukraine and Moldova," the Romanian president explained.
He added that technical discussions regarding Moldova’s EU accession will follow.
"I believe this can be done together with Transnistria, now, under a status similar to that of Gagauzia, with relative autonomy within the Republic of Moldova. Transnistria could have the same arrangement in this framework. The European Union’s border would run along these two autonomous regions," he said.
Dan also emphasized that Ukraine and Moldova are coordinating the negotiation schedule, and, in his view, Hungary’s issues with Ukraine’s accession will not affect Moldova’s steps.
"There is this difficulty with Hungary, which opposes Ukraine’s accession, and there is the discussion about a possible separation, which I don’t think will happen soon, because it would send a very bad signal to Ukraine. In that case, steps for Moldova will begin regardless of the official opening of accession chapters," added Nicușor Dan.
Elections in Moldova
According to preliminary results, the pro-European party Action and Solidarity of President Maia Sandu has won an absolute majority of seats in the new Moldovan parliament.
The pro-Russian opposition has once again been defeated. After counting 100% of the votes, Sandu’s party received 50.20%, giving it 55 out of 101 seats in parliament.
Moldova’s EU accession
Moldova officially applied for EU membership in March 2022, following the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In June 2022, the European Commission granted Moldova candidate status for accession.
The accession process involves implementing a series of political, economic, and legal reforms to meet European Union standards. The main challenges for Moldova are related to economic stability, combating corruption, and resolving the Transnistrian conflict.
Recently, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha emphasized that Ukraine and Moldova should begin accession negotiations with the European Union together.
