Titus Corlatean, Chair of the Foreign Policy Committee of the Romanian Senate, and Doina Gherman, Chair of the Moldovan Parliament's Foreign Policy Committee, signed on Wednesday a Joint Declaration affirming that the European integration of the Republic of Moldova is on an "irreversible" path. The declaration calls on the European Council to formally open accession negotiations, marking a significant diplomatic step in Moldova's EU trajectory.
The two foreign policy committees call for the opening of EU accession negotiations with the Republic of Moldova on Cluster 1 - "Fundamental Values" by the end of 2025, and urge progress on the remaining five clusters as soon as possible.
They also welcome Ukraine's substantial progress toward EU membership, expressing strong support for advancing its integration process and calling for the launch of negotiations on Cluster 1 with Ukraine as well.
The Declaration resolutely reaffirms that EU accession is the only path to a secure, democratic, and prosperous future for the Republic of Moldova, ensuring freedom and sustainable development in a stable environment.
The two committees also reiterate "their shared commitment to Moldova's European integration, urging the Parliaments and Governments of Romania and Moldova to strengthen cooperation in order to accelerate progress toward this strategic goal."
"A new enlargement step under the current European Commission represents a historic opportunity not only for the partners, but also for the Union as a successful political project. (...) The real advancement of the accession calendar is the best argument in the efforts of the Republic of Moldova to counter the unprecedented intensification of disinformation, manipulation campaigns and hybrid attacks. [The commissions] call for stepping up efforts for the gradual and as fast as possible integration of the Republic of Moldova into the European Single Market and note that each candidate must be assessed individually, strictly on the basis of their own efforts and merits, of the commitments implemented in a sustainable manner, as well as of the political will to pursue along the path of European integration," the Declaration states.
The cited document highlights "the need for a stronger EU commitment to ensuring peace, stability and security in its Eastern Neighborhood, as well as to enhance all dimensions of connectivity of the states in the region with Ukraine, based on the 'Strategic Approach for a Safe and Stable Black Sea Region'." In this context, it also calls "for reinforcing the geopolitical role of the European Union in the Black Sea region".
Following the signing of the declaration, Doina Gherman emphasized that "everything that depends on the Republic of Moldova has been done", and expressed hope for a response from European partners by the end of 2025, noting that Romania remains a strong strategic ally in Moldova's EU aspirations.
Titus Corlatean mentioned that the assessment of progress was made last week in Chisinau.
"All the political conditions are in place to advance the Republic of Moldova's European integration. In this context, the Republic of Moldova is facing an important moment. By the end of the year, and this is the targeted goal, the effective opening of accession negotiations with the Republic of Moldova is desired. Starting from the foundation of identity, common Romanian language, history, the Joint Declaration introduces elements of consistent political support from Romania and a joint request addressed to the European partners, to formally acknowledge, through a political decision, all the progress made by the Republic of Moldova and to make a decision for the effective start of accession negotiations by the end of this year, because the fundamental principle has remained the same, specifically the merits of each individual candidate," said Corlatean.
He added that the European Commission's annual report assessing the progress of candidate states mentions the Republic of Moldova in first place.
"There is a legitimate expectation for the start of negotiations. Obviously, we want to see the enlargement process advancing for the other candidate states too, for Ukraine, for the Balkan states, but given the special relationship between Romania and the Republic of Moldova, Romania is stating this very clearly that, based on the progress made, the time has come for the Republic of Moldova to effectively start accession negotiations. Through this declaration, we are sending a joint political signal from Bucharest and Chisinau towards our European partners," Corlatean emphasized.
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