The European Parliament has voted on the resolution calling for the start of accession negotiations between the Republic of Moldova and the European Union by the end of 2023. This was announced by MEP Siegfried Mureșan.
The resolution was passed with a large majority: 448 votes in favor, 45 against, and 43 abstentions.
“Citizens of the Republic of Moldova desire to live, just like us, in freedom and democracy. And we want to convey very clearly: one day, the Republic of Moldova will be a member of the European Union, and its citizens will have the same rights and opportunities as all citizens of the other EU member states. Therefore, through this resolution, we, the European Parliament, call for the start of accession negotiations between the Republic of Moldova and the European Union by the end of the year,” says Siegfried Mureșan.
Source: Siegfried Mureșan/Facebook
In the resolution, MEPs also call for an increase in the financial and technical support provided by the European Union to the Republic of Moldova for addressing challenges related to the war in Ukraine and continuing European integration.
As a result of Siegfried Mureșan’s proposal, the resolution calls for the reallocation of funds originally earmarked for Ukraine in the European Union budget for the period 2024-2027 to the Republic of Moldova. These funds will become available after the EU adopts a new special financial instrument dedicated to Ukraine. The estimated amount that could be reallocated is 600 million euros.
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Among the measures requested in today’s resolution passed by the European Parliament are the permanent liberalization of trade between the European Union and the Republic of Moldova, as well as the gradual integration of Moldova into the European Single Market before the conclusion of accession negotiations.
It should be noted that Moldova officially submitted its application for EU membership on March 4, 2022, and on June 23, 2022, the European Council recognized the country’s European perspective and granted it the status of a candidate country for EU accession.