Moldova joins EU's leading group of candidate states in accession negotiations
On October 6, the Republic of Moldova is expected to receive a roadmap from the European Union designed to accelerate its accession process. While not all stages have been outlined yet, one condition reportedly is that the country would not immediately be granted veto rights.
Brussels has decided to grant a roadmap to Chișinău as an incentive for meeting 95% of the commitments under the Growth Plan, following the October 5th announcement of the next tranche, worth €157 million.
Reward for results achieved
"It came as a great surprise—the speed with which the Republic of Moldova fulfilled its commitments, alongside two Western Balkan countries, Montenegro and Albania, which are actually much further along in the process. That is why the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine will—most likely tomorrow—receive a roadmap with very precise stages to follow, so accession can take place as soon as possible. This represents major progress for the Republic of Moldova," stated Dan Alexe, Radio Moldova’s Brussels correspondent, during the "Zi de Zi" program on the national radio station.
According to Dan Alexe, the document has not yet been finalized; specific conditions still need to be formulated and defined. One of the most widely discussed options involves future members accepting a transition period and foregoing veto rights. "It is not yet clear for how long the new European Union members—Moldova, Montenegro, Albania, and Ukraine—will be required to forgo their voting rights. This condition was necessary to overcome the reservations of established member states, which feared the entry of another 'Viktor Orbán’s Hungary'—a country that had abused its veto power—into the European Union. At a certain point, politicians realized that this veto power was actually counterproductive," explained Dan Alexe.
EU accession: Only after Albania and Montenegro
Another update reported by the Radio Moldova correspondent—who attended the October 5th meeting of the Republic of Moldova–European Union Association Council, where the country's accession plans were discussed—concerns the approximate timeframe for when the Republic of Moldova might become an EU member.
"How realistic it is for the Republic of Moldova to become a member by 2030 depends on how quickly Montenegro and, subsequently, Albania join. It is clear to everyone that the Republic of Moldova, no matter how well it performs, cannot join ahead of the other two states, which began negotiations much earlier and are further along in closing negotiation chapters," noted Dan Alexe.
For his part, political scientist Victor Juc viewed the results achieved by Chișinău in the EU accession process with moderate optimism. He said opening two clusters is not enough; it is crucial to open the remaining four as well, and then close them.
"Four remain; furthermore, not a single chapter has been closed yet, and any chapter that has been closed can be reopened as long as all 33 chapters have not been finalized," Victor Juc stated during the Radio Moldova program Zi de Zi .
The accession process will be complex
He notes that the Republic of Moldova still has much work to do, as the process is complex and requires adherence to numerous commitments.
"The first element is the acquis communautaire, and the second is the Association Agreement. We have both an association agenda and an association plan, and the Association Agreement cannot be overlooked. Consequently, along these two tracks, the Republic of Moldova could make decisive progress; however, we are currently in a waiting period involving technical negotiations—given the complicated relations between Hungary and Ukraine, and the fact that the Republic of Moldova is linked to Ukraine," the political analyst stated.
Victor Juc also said time is needed to establish a precise timeline for accession. The European Commission is set to present a roadmap that will allow the Republic of Moldova to know exactly which actions must be carried out.
"Once the provisions of these roadmaps are known or implemented, we will see whether the Republic of Moldova can meet the associated deadlines. The provision of this document indicates that the European Union has ranked the Republic of Moldova among the top three countries receiving the most support for EU integration," the political scientist said.
A key topic discussed at the October 5th meeting was national security and the Republic of Moldova's integration into the EU's collective defense system. "The Republic of Moldova plays a very important role in this process. Security is crucial, and drones and missile fragments will continue to fall on the Republic of Moldova as long as this war lasts. The Republic of Moldova cannot move closer to the European Union on its own; that is why a security mission was established in Chisinau, providing full support in this area," concluded Victor Juc.
Following the tenth meeting of the Republic of Moldova–European Union (EU) Association Council on October 5, the EU announced that the Republic of Moldova would receive a new tranche of €157 million from the Growth Plan.
At the same time, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said the EU aims to open all negotiation clusters with the country by the end of the year, while EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas assured that the Transnistrian region would not be an obstacle to the Republic of Moldova's EU accession.
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