Moldova is one of the candidate states with the broadest support for the accession process to the European Union. This statement was made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nicu Popescu, during the “Dialog Deschis” (Open Dialogue) program. According to him, a significant advantage for Chișinău is Romania, which provides all the necessary support to accelerate the EU accession process.
“I believe that Moldova is one of the candidate states with the widest support for our accession process to the EU. Other candidate states have more complicated relations with some EU member states. However, in the case of Moldova, we do have a very wide spectrum of diplomatic support. We do not have states that are skeptical of Moldova. There are states that insist a lot, and the European Commission also insists a lot on justice reform. Another enormous advantage of Moldova is our relationship with Romania. No other candidate state has such a close, intense, and firmly based cultural, social, and historical relationship with Romania as we do. This fact is understood and realized throughout the EU, and Romania is diplomatically helping us, and it is clear to everyone in the EU that if Romania has joined the EU, the process with us can also happen quite rapidly if we do our homework,” said Popescu.
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The Foreign Minister noted that the progress made by Moldova in the last year and a half has been phenomenal.
“The path taken by us, in the case of some Balkan states, took over a decade. For some recommendations, we will have several more years of work because ensuring functional justice does not happen overnight. Some conditions will be fully met, but for certain conditions, it is enough to take a few firm steps to demonstrate that Moldova is moving in the right direction. Among all the candidate states for EU accession, Moldova is clearly perceived as one with the best reform dynamics and the highest speed of accession to the EU,” emphasized Popescu.
He further stated that Moldova’s objective is to demonstrate sufficient progress by October so that the European Commission can recommend to the member states to start accession negotiations. According to him, purely on a calendar basis, negotiations cannot begin this year, but it is important for Moldova to receive a green light, support, and an invitation to start negotiations in 2023. In this regard, the authorities have already prepared for negotiations and formed working groups that include nearly 600 officials.