Gherasimov: EU Accession Talks May Be Finalized by 2028

Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration believes that between the date of finalizing the negotiations and the moment of accession itself, one and a half to two years may pass, which is the time needed for the member states to ratify the accession treaty. She said that although 2030, as the year of accession, “may seem optimistic, there is a unique opportunity created by the current geopolitical situation and the openness of the European institutions and member states towards Moldova,” infotag.md reported. “Especially now, with the re-election of Mrs. von der Leyen (as president of the European Commission - note infotag.md), Moldova has all the openness of the European institutions.... At the same time, we have the readiness of the member states, because, Ms. President (Maia Sandu) has done everything possible and impossible to regain the trust lost for many years, until 2020, after she became president,” Gherasimov said. At the same time, the deputy prime minister stressed that the current situation and the EU policy were influenced by regional instability and the war in Ukraine, which “plays a decisive role in this process”. “If there were no geopolitical conjuncture created by this cruel and unjust war against Ukraine, if there were not this regional instability, this window of opportunity (for Moldova’s accession) might open or might not,” she said. Therefore, she said, Moldova is “very lucky” that a government came to power with the intention to achieve EU integration amid the current geopolitical situation in the region.