EP praises Moldova's progress, backs faster EU talks
The European Parliament is urging the Council of the European Union to promptly open all negotiation clusters with the Republic of Moldova. This request was made on the evening of Tuesday, July 7, after a debate in the Strasbourg plenary session regarding the annual report on Moldova's progress towards Europe. The Parliament also praised the reforms being implemented in Chisinau.
The decision, however, belongs to the member states gathered in the Council, where the unanimity rule and the intermediate criteria set for the opening of the first cluster can temper a timetable that Chisinau wants to end in 2028.
The permanent rapporteur for the Republic of Moldova, Estonian MEP Sven Mikser (Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats), opened the debate by assessing the progress made in the last year as one of the most substantial among the candidate countries, despite geopolitical pressure. The pace of reforms cannot only be maintained, but must be accelerated, warned the rapporteur, who called on the Council "to seriously apply the principle of merit-based assessment" and to open the next clusters without delay.
The assessment is highlighted by the security context, Mikser stressed, recalling that, during the parliamentary elections in September 2025, the Russian Federation would have spent, according to his estimates, the equivalent of about 2% of the Republic of Moldova's GDP on illegal financing, disinformation and hostile operations.
The rapporteur linked the European path to investments in critical energy infrastructure, citing the Vulcănești-Chișinău high-voltage line as an example of reducing dependence on Russian energy resources.
Marta Kos: Moldova, "the best performer in my class"
The Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, confirmed, on behalf of the European Commission, the line of the report, placing the Republic of Moldova "at the top of the class" among the candidates.
In the 2025 Enlargement Report, the country registered progress in all negotiation chapters, the Commissioner stated, adding that, in implementing the reforms in the Growth Plan, the Republic of Moldova achieved 93%, the highest among the candidate states benefiting from such plans.
The Commissioner reiterated her assessment in her final remarks, using a formula that has become recurrent in her speech: the Republic of Moldova is, Kos stated, "the best performer in my class".
Although progress is evident, the Republic of Moldova has not yet completed its accession file, Commissioner Marta Kos clarified. In order to start closing the negotiation chapters, Chisinau must continue reforms, especially in the judiciary, the fight against corruption and economic governance, key areas on which the fulfillment of the interim criteria depends. Also, the European official asked the EU Council to open all negotiation clusters as soon as possible.
Cross-party support in plenary
The debate brought together broad support for the Republic of Moldova's cause. On behalf of the European People's Group (EPP), Andrzej Halicki and Siegfried Mureșan called for the opening of all clusters without delay. Mureșan summarized the report's three demands: the opening of clusters at the political level by the end of the year, the continuation of reforms and the increase of EU financial and technical support.
On behalf of the Socialists (S&D), Marcos Ros Sempere and Victor Negrescu insisted on the simultaneous opening of the chapters, doubling the call with demands for reforms: the independence of the judiciary, the rule of law, and the fight against corruption. In order for the Republic of Moldova to complete the negotiations in 2028, an acceleration of the entire process and additional European funds are needed, Negrescu pointed out.
From Renew Europe, Dan Barna invoked the resilience of citizens and the concrete benefits of the 1.9 billion-euro Growth Plan: schools, hospitals, and local businesses.
Point of disagreement: the coupling with Ukraine
A single thread broke the tone of consensus. On behalf of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), Mariusz Kamiński called for each candidate country to be assessed on the basis of its own individual achievements, questioning the linking of the Republic of Moldova's candidacy to that of Ukraine, which he described as still "incapable" of combating corruption and oligarchization.
Kamiński also insisted on Chisinau's territorial integrity and control over the Transnistrian region, noting that most of the region's exports are destined for the European market. His colleague in the group, Cristian Terheș, framed support for the Republic of Moldova as a strategic investment in the security of the Union.
With the vote scheduled for Wednesday, July 8, the document will become the official position of the European Parliament. Subsequently, the decision on the transposition of this call into the actual opening of the negotiation clusters will fall to the Council of the European Union. In this context, the viability of the calendar assumed by the Republic of Moldova for 2028 will be assessed not at the level of the European legislature, but through the negotiations and the necessary consensus among the member states.
