EU accession

"Landmark day for EU enlargement". Reactions to the first accession talks with Moldova and Ukraine

A landmark day for EU enlargement. Leaders say Moldova belongs in the European family after member states agreed to open the first accession negotiation cluster with Moldova and Ukraine.

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said that "a larger Europe is a stronger and safer Europe."

"Opening the first chapters on democracy, justice, and the rule of law underlines both countries' reform efforts and their commitment to European values, even as they continue to resist Russia's aggression, threats, and intimidation. Enlargement remains our strongest geopolitical tool, and Ukraine and Moldova belong in Europe," she said.

"A landmark day in the history of European Union enlargement. All 27 member states have agreed to launch accession negotiations with the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine by opening the first cluster, focused on fundamental values. Romania has supported its neighboring countries from the very beginning of this process and will continue to stand by them with expertise and multisectoral support throughout their European path. A united Europe that expands its space of democracy, security, and prosperity is a stronger and more competitive Europe. The future of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine lies in the European family," the Romanian president said.

In his message, the Ukrainian president thanked all EU partners for taking what he called a strong step for Europe's future. Zelenskyy also congratulated Moldova.

MEP Siegfried Mureșan noted that the Republic of Moldova has made extraordinary progress and is now the frontrunner among candidate states in implementing the reforms necessary for the accession process.

“The accession negotiations on clusters have already started, at a technical level, at the beginning of the year, so the official opening of the negotiations will quickly confirm the work and positive results of these almost six months. At this rate, I am confident that the Republic of Moldova will become, in the coming years, a member state of the European Union. We, the European Parliament, will continue to stand by the Republic of Moldova and provide it with all the technical and political support it needs”, noted Siegfried Mureșan on his Facebook page.

We remind you that both Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova applied for membership in the European Union and obtained candidate country status in 2022, shortly after the outbreak of war in the neighboring state.

Although the two states went through the first stages of accession "as a package", there have been discussions in the public space about the need to decouple the two files in order to allow progress based strictly on individual merits.

Recently on a visit to the Republic of Moldova, the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, stated, in an interview for Radio Moldova, that our country is ready to begin accession negotiations with the European Union on the first group of chapters, and their launch is expected in mid-June.

The negotiation process is structured into 33 chapters, divided into six groups of thematic chapters. The first cluster, dedicated to the rule of law, democratic institutions and the functioning of the economy, is, by convention, the first to open and the last to close in any accession process.

The government in Chisinau has set itself the objective of completing the negotiations by 2028.

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