European course of the Republic of Moldova risks being blocked in the absence of political will, former chief negotiator at the EU
The Republic of Moldova cannot advance on the European path in the absence of internal political will, warns the former chief negotiator in the EU, Leonard Orban. During the show "Zi de ZI" from Radio Moldova, he explained that, although accession to the European Union is an objective in the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova, the process can be slowed down or even blocked in the absence of a firm commitment from the leadership in Chisinau.
We can have a scenario in which, after the parliamentary elections, a government will not have the same enthusiasm as the current governors. And, obviously, this can influence the rhythm and evolution of accession negotiations and can go until these negotiations are blocked.
Along with the political will, he noted that the success of the accession process depends on the administrative capacity of Moldovan institutions and the influence of geopolitical factors.
The road is still complicated and there are many factors, both internal and especially external, which will decide to what extent the Republic of Moldova and when the Republic of Moldova will join the European Union.
However, the former chief negotiator of Romania has recognized the remarkable progress made by the Republic of Moldova over the last three years.
The achievements are extraordinary. You submitted the application for accession just three years ago and, at the moment, not only that the accession negotiations have begun, but Moldova is registered on a clear road to the European Union. Honestly, if you ask me three years ago if this path would be possible in such a short period of time, I would have said no.
For the European Union, the accession of the Republic of Moldova does not mean only the expansion of the community block, but also the consolidation of regional security, says the Watch Dog expert, Stefan Bejan. *"A European Moldova automatically means a peaceful and safe Moldova," he stressed.
The Republic of Moldova can offer the European Union, first of all, a consumer market of over two million inhabitants, can offer very good quality agricultural products, which are already on the European market. And in the context of the new geopolitical realities, it can offer that regional stability that Europe needs today and which needs Ukraine, because any possible security guarantees for Ukraine cannot be without a democratic Republic of Moldova and where the principle of international law is respected.
Regarding the effective opening of the first negotiation chapters, the expert believes that the European Union is waiting for clear and consistent reforms from Chisinau.
We see that in some fields these reforms take place and advance quickly and here I refer to the energy field. On the other hand, we see that justice reform seems to be hindered, either by the resistance of the system, or by a strategy, perhaps not so good and I think this is our great challenge, because without fair justice, without thieves and those who have a criminal activity in the Republic of Moldova, we cannot talk about reforms in the other fields and we cannot talk about a European state.
We remind you that the Republic of Moldova, three years ago, on March 3, 2022, officially submitted the request for accession to the European Union. In a tense geopolitical context, marked by Russia's aggression against Ukraine, the Chisinau authorities have assumed an accelerated European journey. In the three years that followed, the country went through a complex process: it received the status of candidate for the EU, in June 2022, and opened the accession negotiations in June 2024.
