European Commission: The bilateral screening process of the Republic of Moldova is advancing smoothly
The bilateral screening process of the Republic of Moldova is advancing smoothly, according to the European Commission's report on the annual enlargement package. The Republic of Moldova has a certain level of preparation in the field of public administration reform and progress has been made in terms of the verification and appointment of judges and prosecutors - these are some of the conclusions of the report. However, the Commission recommends Chisinau to make progress in the process of checking and appointing members to the Superior Council of Magistracy and the Supreme Court of Justice, improving the functioning of the National Institute of Justice, but also strengthening the capabilities to fight cybercrime.
"The opening of accession negotiations was an important recognition of Moldova's determination to continue reforms on the path to EU accession, despite ongoing Russian interference and the impact of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. Following the first intergovernmental conference in June 2024, the analytical examination of the acquis is advancing smoothly. Subject to the fulfilment of all conditions, the Commission looks forward to the opening of cluster negotiations as soon as possible in 2025," reads the report.
In the last five years, accession negotiations have again become a priority for the European Commission, said the vice-president of the European Commission, Josep Borrell.
"In 2019, we had five candidate countries. Today we have 9 candidates and one potential candidate. That's 10, twice as much. This shows that the European Union is like a magnet that attracts people and states. Gradual integration has advanced. The citizens of the countries that have joined have benefited from tangible advantages", claims the European official.
"At the end of the mandate, this year, we created additional tools for the Balkans, Moldova, and Ukraine, to boost the results of the reforms. The Ukraine Plan, the Moldova Plan, the Growth Plan, for each of these countries, which allowed each of them to complete the established reforms and prepare, be ready to become members of the European Union, until the end of the next mandate of the Commission", said the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi.
The report on the Republic of Moldova also shows that our country is between an early stage of preparation and a certain level of preparation and has made some progress in establishing a functional market economy. Under the report, the Republic of Moldova has made good progress in terms of training in statistics.
The country has made good progress in conducting population and housing censuses and building institutional capacity. In terms of education and culture, the level of training is moderate, and the Commission recommends strengthening the quality and efficiency of the school network in general and professional education. In the field of energy, the Republic of Moldova is moderately prepared.
The Commission appreciates diversifying gas and electricity supply routes and reducing dependence on Russian energy sources, replacing them with supplies from Europe and the US.
The report also shows that the Republic of Moldova should, in particular, ensure proactive and effective anti-corruption investigations that lead to a positive track record of prosecutions and convictions, continue the vetting process, the fight against organized crime and alignment with Union standards European.
The authorities from Chisinau also came with a reaction to the Report for the Republic of Moldova. The Office for European Integration states that our country has made important progress in several areas this year.
"In practical terms, the report on Moldova shows that: we have made progress in 31 out of 33 chapters; in the case of eight chapters - consumer protection and health, education and culture, transport, environment, customs union, regional policy and coordination of structural instruments, intellectual property law, statistics - we made better progress than last year; there is no chapter that it has regressed during the last year; the level of preparation for accession has improved compared to last year in five chapters - energy, environment, education and culture, regional policy and coordination of structural instruments, customs union", reads the press release.
The representatives of the Office for European Integration state that the Commission has emphasized that the progress made has occurred in the conditions of unprecedented hybrid attacks directed against our country and our democracy. However, the authorities in Chisinau still have work to do, and the report includes a series of recommendations regarding the next steps to take.
