While all eyes are on Ukraine, which is trying to speed up the process of joining the European Union, the Republic of Moldova fears that its own effort to join the EU bloc will be forgotten. These statements were made in an interview for Bloomberg by the Prime Minister, Natalia Gavrilița, who the other day participated in the World Economic Forum in Davos.
“It is very important for us not to be forgotten, left behind or become a gray area. The people of Moldova voted en masse for European integration even before the start of the war, “Natalia Gavrilița said in an interview with Bloomberg.
The campaign to promote EU membership began long before the war in Ukraine. And now, the head of the Executive, Natalia Gavrilița, has gone to Davos to support this effort and to gather support.
Gavrilița stressed that Moldova is consolidating its institutions and the rule of law, basic tasks for any candidate for accession. But with a suffering economy, and dependent on Russia’s gas supplies, Gavrilita warned that her country would benefit from a short window of time for the March 3rd accession application to be considered in Brussels and EU capitals.
“The time (for action) is now,” she said in the interview.
However, the Chisinau authorities “are concerned about the medium-term effect on stability in the region,” the head of government admitted. Therefore, while maintaining its military-neutral status, Moldova does not rule out some defense investments, Gavrilița said.
“In the face of growing risks, we need to be better prepared to defend ourselves,” she said.
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Gavrilița also asked for help from other countries. Moldova needs at least 400 million euros (428 million dollars) in the form of grants to keep its debt sustainability and currency under control. While the EU has promised 53 million euros. At the same time, Moldova is in talks with Germany, France and others for more assistance. Thus, there is still a way to the goal of the Moldovan authorities.