EU shows united front vs Russia as Moldova edges closer to membership

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called Moldova “the political heart of Europe”, when she met Moldovan President Maia Sandu in the capital city of Chisinau at the second Summit of the European Political Community on Wednesday 31^st May.

Von der Leyen thanked Moldova for showing “solidarity, which you showed towards the Ukrainian refugees; resilience, which you showed to Russia’s blackmail; and unity which you showed to link your destiny to the EU. 

“We support you every step of the way on your path to the European Union. And today, I am glad to announce a new support package for Moldova with a double objective: We want to support you to address the impact of the war on your doorstep. And we want to bring you closer to the European Union,” she said.

EU shows united front versus Russia

Von der Leyen’s visit to Moldova coincided with the summit of European leaders aimed at presenting a unified front against Russian aggression in Ukraine and its intimidation of former Soviet countries on its borders, some of which are EU members. The EU official emphasised the significance of having 50 European leaders present in Moldova, conveying a powerful message of solidarity.

Moldova, along with Ukraine, attained official candidate status for EU membership in June 2022. Both countries now seek to commence formal accession negotiations. The European Commission is scheduled to submit its written recommendations on this matter in October, and a decision by the EU is anticipated in December.

The Kremlin strongly opposes the idea of another neighbouring country joining the European Union, arguing that Moldova’s accession poses a security risk.

Von der Leyen lays out details of Moldova’s support package

 The package has five very concrete initiatives, von der Leyen explained. “First, indeed, we will lower the roaming charges between the EU and Moldova,” she said.

“The second point is that we will provide additional economic support. Since October 2021, the EU has provided more than EUR 1bn to Moldova. This includes EUR 300mn in macro-financial assistance for this year. Now on top of this, we are stepping up support with our Economic and Investment Plan for Moldova. We can now leverage up to EUR 1.6bn. And that will bring great opportunities for Moldova’s companies, so this will be a direct investment into the economy.

“The third strand of the package is support for the energy sector. The energy crisis provoked by Russia is still hurting Moldova. We are here to support you both with short-term and with long-term measures. For the short term, we will provide more than EUR 100mn. Looking at the long term for energy, we are working together in a way that we will fund projects to facilitate Moldova’s integration into our EU’s energy market. 

“We will invest in renewable energy (and) work on electricity interconnections, with two new high voltage power lines between Moldova and Romania. Finally (regarding) the transport networks: for this, we will make available EUR 50mn for the rehabilitation of railway lines as part of the European solidarity lanes.

“My fourth point is on security and resilience. Earlier this month, the EU agreed a EUR 40mn package for Moldova to finance military supplies and strengthen your armed forces, including through technical training. Now we want to further increase the European Peace Facility support to Moldova.

“We clearly see… how Russia is trying to destabilise Moldova with hybrid actions. So, we are stepping up our support to increase your resilience against Russia’s hybrid threats. We have just launched a Partnership Mission to provide you with strategic advice on crisis management and hybrid threats, for instance cybersecurity and countering foreign interference.

“My final point is about Moldova’s reforms to advance on the EU path. I can clearly see that you are making big progress. This is good to see, and it is amazing. And we will support you to advance even faster,” von der Leyen said.

Moldovan leader says EU is its future

Sandu wrote on Facebook that Moldova “has taken another step towards building European Moldova at home by signing a new agreement, which provides for decreasing the tariffs for roaming services starting January 1, 2024.

“Moldovan citizens will be able to be closer to their loved ones and will be able to speak cheaper and more often. Moldova’s connection with the European Union is getting closer and brings concrete benefits to people.

“The European Commission will continue to help us overcome difficulties but also develop our renewable energy sector, for which we are deeply grateful.

“This is what partnership with the EU means – improving the lives of our citizens. Thank you, dear partners, for trusting Moldova. The future of Moldova is in the European Union,” Sandu added.