European Parliament Voting for Resolution on Launch of Negotiations Regarding EU Accession of Moldova

The plenary session of the European Parliament voted for a resolution demanding to start negotiations on Moldova’s accession to the European Union by the end of 2023, after the implementation of the nine recommendations set out by the European Commission. This was announced by the Romanian MEP Siegfried Muresan on his Facebook page, tv8.md writes. “The resolution was adopted by an overwhelming majority of 555 votes, 49 votes were against and 26 abstentions, which indicates that the European integration of the Republic of Moldova enjoys the support of MEPs from all over Europe and all pro-European political groups”, Siegfried Muresan stressed. “Entering the EU is what the people of Moldova want, and this is what the Chisinau authorities worked very hard for last year, achieving important progress in the reforms necessary for European integration. The Russian Federation wants to prevent it and that is why it is trying by all means to destabilize the situation in the country and slow down the European path of the Republic of Moldova. That is why we, the European Parliament, ask the European institutions in the adopted resolution to increase the financial and technical assistance to the Republic of Moldova in the next period, both to implement the reforms necessary for European integration, and to take measures to support people, as well as to counter false information, manipulation and other hybrid forms of aggression by the Russian Federation,” Siegfried Muresan added. The European Parliament asks the European Commission to transfer to the Republic of Moldova, as soon as possible, pending 150 million euro of macro-financial assistance approved in 2022, as well as 105 million euro budget support announced by the European Commission in November 2022. “We also expect the Commission to propose as soon as possible the new support package for Moldova requested by the European Council last month. At the same time, we, the European Parliament, are in the process of approving a new macro-financial assistance of 145 million euros for Moldova, as proposed by the European Commission in late November. In order to increase support for Moldova, we also ask for strengthening the EU Security Centre in Moldova also by increasing financial allocations, as well as imposing a sanctions regime against the oligarchs who, together with the Russian Federation, want destabilize the Republic of Moldova. Finally yet importantly, we want to help the Republic of Moldova by intensifying trade relations with the European Union and by fully opening up the European market for Moldovan goods and services. That is why we demand the full liberalization of trade between the European Union and Moldova and the gradual integration of the Republic of Moldova into the EU Single Market. By taking these trade measures as soon as possible, we ensure that Moldovan nationals shall experience the benefits of European integration earlier, before the actual accession to the European Union,” MEP Siegfried Mureşan added.