German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has expressed his support for Moldova’s accession to the European Union on behalf of his country.
Following a meeting held with Moldova’s President, Maia Sandu, in Chisinau, Scholz said that “Germany stands closely by Moldova’s side,” Schengen.News reports.
We will support the Republic of Moldova to the best of our ability.
Moldova’s President said that Russia has been attempting to intervene in the country’s affairs, in particular ahead of the upcoming presidential election referendum in October.
In this regard, Scholz said that Moldova has once again proven its remarkable fashion and how resilient it is to these destabilisation attempts from abroad.
During his visit to Moldova, the German Chancellor also met with the Prime Minister of Moldova, Dorin Recan. Scholz also discussed bilateral relations and security policy matters, as well as the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Moldova.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Moldova has been subject to several challenges, among them an increased number of refugees, inflation, violations of its airspace and hybrid actions such as cyber-attacks and disinformation.
In order to help Moldova, the European Union President, Ursula von der Leyen, on June 28, 2023, introduced a Support Package for Moldova consisting of five priorities aiming to address the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and bring Moldova closer to the bloc.
Moldova One Step Closer to Become Part of EU
Moldova is one step closer to its accession to the European Union.
The 27 European Union Ministers agreed to initiate accession talks with Moldova on June 25, 2024, following the Economic and Financial Affairs (ECOFIN) Council meeting.
Back then, the decision was confirmed by Belgium, which held the rotating presidency of the European Union.
The Council of the European Union adopted the EU’s general positions, including negotiating frameworks, for the accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova.
In December 2023, the European Union approved the accession talks with Moldova and Ukraine.
Provided certain reform steps are taken, they say that accession talks should also be opened with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Georgia should be granted candidate status.
Moldova’s journey to the European Union accession began in March 2022, during which period the country applied for membership to the bloc.
On June 22, 2022, Moldova was officially granted candidate status by the European Union, while the country’s target date for EU accession is 2030.
To become part of the bloc, candidate states are required to meet and align with the EU laws and standards.
In addition to Moldova, in December 2023, the EU also approved accession negotiations with four Balkan countries: Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.
