On November 4, the day the European Commission published its Enlargement Package and indicative roadmaps for the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, Albania and Montenegro, I was in Kyiv attending the 5th EU Accession Exchange Forum, organised by the New Europe Center in partnership with the Institute for European Policies and Reforms.
During a panel moderated by Paola Peduzzi, alongside Ivan Nahorniak, Manuel Sarrazin, Strahinja Subotić and Andrii Borovyk, I shared several key messages about what matters most in Moldova’s EU accession negotiations.
The Timeline Matters
The roadmaps establish an important timeframe. 2028 is the year our countries have committed to, with the support of the European Commission, to provisionally conclude accession negotiations: early in the year for Moldova and by the end of the year for Ukraine.
The Commission is looking for ways to move accession negotiations forward within the enlargement policy framework, where it has a clear mandate. Despite blockages in the Council and other challenges, enlargement continues.
Deadlines open doors and establish clear horizons. We now have a timeline, perhaps not as precise as we had hoped, but one that aligns objectives, priorities and efforts in our countries, across the EU and in cooperation with the European Commission.
The priority is to maintain the pace of reforms we have committed to during negotiations. That is what the Commission’s assessment of Moldova’s target as “ambitious but achievable” depends on.
Reforms Must Be Delivered at Home
The biggest lesson we have learned is that reforms matter. They matter when they are implemented at home, not simply when boxes are ticked in Brussels.
We have benchmarks to meet and reforms to deliver, but they only matter when stakeholders in our countries take ownership of them and when they withstand electoral cycles.
In Moldova, the justice sector and the rule of law have been, and will remain, among the critical areas of reform. The vetting process has been particularly challenging, but it is moving forward because there is ownership at home and cooperation with our EU partners.
Merit Must Not Be Undermined by Political Vetoes
This issue concerns not only Ukraine and the recent blockages in the Council, which also held Moldova back. Western Balkan candidate countries have been waiting for progress because of political obstacles and unresolved bilateral disputes.
Such blockages undermine merit, one of the key principles of EU enlargement policy.
Solutions are available. Frontloading — carrying out technical work on negotiating clusters before their formal opening — has played an important role in keeping negotiations moving.
The Commission’s proposal to introduce qualified majority voting for intermediate decisions during accession negotiations could also limit the use of vetoes, if member states agree to it.
We Must Be Realistic
No reform is irreversible. For reforms to last, reversing them must carry a cost and have clear, immediate consequences. Any attempt to roll them back must be visible from the outset.
That is why we need resilient, independent, honest and efficient institutions capable of ensuring that reforms continue to function and deliver results.
Any future government should inherit reforms that cannot be undone without consequences.
The accession process provides countries such as Moldova with a clear roadmap for reforms, much like the process that led to visa-free travel. When we implemented those reforms and made them work, citizens experienced the benefits.
Communicating Progress Is Just as Important
What we deliver must also be communicated — effectively and consistently.
Political and public support for reforms, accession and enlargement is essential, both in our own societies and in EU member states.
We tend to focus on decision-makers in Brussels and EU capitals, and at that level our efforts are effective. But ratification comes at the very end, in every member state, as the final step before accession.
If we cannot reach local communities, citizens and businesses, and help them become accustomed to the idea that we will share a common future, we will fail.
Therefore, as we negotiate, open clusters and work towards concluding the talks, we must also engage with communities across EU member states. Think tanks can serve as an important bridge in this process.
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