The Republic of Moldova has officially handed over to the EU the first completed questionnaire, after submitting the application for joining the EU. The ceremony took place today, April 22, in the Presidency, in the presence of the EU Ambassador to Chisinau, Jānis Mažeiks, the President of the country, Maia Sandu, the Prime Minister, Natalia Gavrilița, the President of the Parliament, Igor Grosu, and the members of the Commission for Integration in the European Union.
The ceremony began with a speech by the head of state, who thanked all those who were involved in completing the questionnaire, received by Moldova 11 days ago. “Today we had a meeting with the Governmental Commission for European Integration. I was glad to hear from the Government that we are ready to send the first questionnaire to the European Union. I want to thank everyone who got involved. I am referring here to the members of the Government, the Parliament, the civil society and other categories of people who have contributed. In the meantime, a bigger questionnaire came up. Here I want to urge the authorities to work harder to cope with what we set out to do. That’s what we all need to work for. The EU is our goal. The Republic of Moldova is small and vulnerable, and we will feel safe only in the EU family. We will have to make an enormous effort to get where we want”, said Maia Sandu.
In her turn, Natalia Gavrilița, specified what the completed questionnaire contains and also sincerely thanked the dignitaries involved in the process of completing the questionnaire.
“We have taken another step towards our European future, a future that our citizens have always wanted. We have put in all the effort to prove to the EU that we are ready to go beyond the Free Trade and Association Agreement. We are ready to become a European country. We want to bring Europe home. This is not just about investment, financial aid and support. This means European values, true justice, the trust of citizens in the state and its institutions, this is what we strive for and this is what we will achieve. Thanks to everyone involved. We worked hard and even overtime. Ministers, translators, civil society worked. European integration is a country program. Our future is in the EU. Our future is to bring Europe home. The questionnaire includes the provisions of the legislation of Moldova, the applicability of these laws in practice and many other aspects stipulated in the Association and Free Trade Agreement “, Gavrilița pointed out.
The EU Ambassador also came with a greeting. “Only 11 days ago, the first part of the questionnaire was handed out and we already have the answers from the Moldovan side. This speed demonstrates the interest of the President, the Government and the Parliament in bringing the future of the country to the EU. In a way, the preparation of the answers had to be easy and difficult, because there are questions from the implementation of the two agreements: Association and Free Trade. It was difficult because it highlighted where more work is needed to meet the Copenhagen criteria. Presenting these answers is just a first step in the hard work. Now the Moldovan authorities have also received the second part of the questionnaire, which is much more comprehensive. We are waiting to receive the second part so that the European Commission can offer a comment comment on the country’s integration. The answers to the questionnaire will be sent to my colleagues to further analyze the application for membership “, said the EU Ambassador.
We remind you that the application for Moldova’s accession to the European Union was signed by the President of the country Maia Sandu, the President of the Parliament Igor Grosu and by the Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilița on March 3. It happened after Ukraine and Georgia sent similar requests to Brussels. Subsequently, on April 11, the head of diplomacy in Chisinau, Nicu Popescu, received from the European Commission the questionnaire based on which the degree of preparation of the Republic of Moldova for accession to the European Union is to be assessed.