Romania salutes EU candidate status extended to Republic of Moldova

Romanian president Klaus Iohannis assured on the evening of June 23, in Brussels - just after Moldova was granted the EU candidate status - that Romania will be involved in helping the Republic of Moldova to be together in the European Union “within a reasonable time.”

“I believe that Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia have received a new impetus, and I am convinced that everyone will work very seriously to implement the reforms, procedures and projects that are certainly still needed to then take the next step. I congratulate them, and I really want this road to be a fast, good and successful one,“ Iohannis said.

The president specified that there are many issues that still need to be discussed and many problems to be settled following the granting of the status of EU candidate country for the Republic of Moldova.

He mentioned the Transnistrian issue, which is particularly complex. “In Romania, we have been involved, however, for a long time in supporting Moldova. Now I am convinced that many others will be involved (…) It has also been seen by the large number of visits that have taken place in Chisinau lately," Iohannis mentioned.

Ukraine and Moldova have both been granted EU candidate status, the president of the European Council Charles Michel has announced.

“Today marks a crucial step on your path towards the EU,” Michel said, describing the European Council’s decision as a “historic moment.”

Moldova signed the Association Agreement with the European Union in 2014, but its European integration, although a fact from an economic perspective due to the tighter commercial ties, has lagged for years amid the ambiguous political situation in Chisinau. The pro-EU regime established in Moldova after the elections in 2021 and the beginning of the war in Ukraine have accelerated the process, though.

Nevertheless, Moldova’s accession process will take a long period of time and remains at risk due to the potential political developments in the country, where the pro-Russian Socialist Party still enjoys significant support.

(Photo: Presidency.ro)