Brussels talks reaffirm Government’s European agenda
The Government of the Republic of Moldova is advancing its reform agenda and enhancing European support on multiple fronts, including negotiations for EU accession and security cooperation, as well as adopting the expertise of more established candidate countries. Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu recently met in Brussels with key officials, including the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa; the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas; European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos; and the Prime Minister of Montenegro, Milojko Spajić. During these discussions, he emphasized Chisinau's commitment to transforming the Republic of Moldova into a modern and resilient European state.
During a dialogue with the President of the European Council, Prime Minister Munteanu reaffirmed the Government's strong objective: "The Republic of Moldova is fully committed to transforming into a European state." He stated that the Executive is determined to advance the accession negotiations swiftly and aims to sign the Accession Treaty by 2028.
In their discussions, the officials reviewed the continuation of internal reforms and emphasized the importance of accelerating negotiations on various clusters. They called for decisions at the European Council level that reflect the progress made, as detailed in a Government press release.
The Prime Minister highlighted the tangible benefits of EU support, including the integration of Moldova's banking sector into the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) and the reduction of high fees for European payments. He also noted the implementation of the "Roaming like at home" regime starting January 1. Furthermore, he underscored the positive impacts of the Growth Plan for Moldova, which aims to enhance energy independence, expand export quotas, modernize infrastructure, and invest in health and education. "Moldova has demonstrated, through concrete actions, that it is capable and ready to meet all the necessary commitments to become a member state of the European Union," said Alexandru Munteanu.
Regional security issues were a key focus during Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu’s meeting with Kaja Kallas, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission. The Prime Minister emphasized, “We are ready to move forward on the reform agenda [...] as this is how we transform our state into a European and modern one that offers well-being and social equity.” He underscored the importance of the Union’s support in enhancing the Republic of Moldova's resilience, particularly in countering foreign interference and hybrid threats.
Moldova is the first non-EU country to sign the Partnership Agreement for Security and Defence, and over the past five years, it has received significant investments through the European Peace Facility. Additionally, the EU civilian mission in Chisinau has been extended until 2027. This mission will be the first European initiative to deploy rapid response teams to address hybrid threats.
Kaja Kallas acknowledged Moldova's role in regional security, stating that the country “is part of the European security space.” She affirmed that the EU will continue to strengthen Moldova’s defense capabilities, as noted in the press release from the Chisinau Executive.
The government's commitment to advancing the European agenda and delivering concrete results for citizens was reaffirmed during the meeting between Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu and Marta Kos, the European Commissioner for Enlargement.
The officials discussed the progress our country has made, particularly in light of last week's European Commission Report, which recognized the achievements on the path to European integration.
"We have made remarkable progress over the last year and we aim to open the negotiation chapters as soon as possible. Enlargement is a merit-based process, and Moldova demonstrates daily that it can implement reforms and meet the necessary commitments to become a European state," stated Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu.
European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos also noted that the Republic of Moldova has made the most significant annual progress among all candidate states, highlighting the determination with which our country is pursuing EU accession.
The cooperation dimension in the accession process was further strengthened by a meeting between Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu and his Montenegrin counterpart, Milojko Spajić. The two leaders analyzed the current state of negotiations and discussed the potential for exchanging expertise between Chișinău and Podgorica. "Montenegro is at a very advanced stage in closing the negotiation chapters, and we have much to learn from this valuable experience," said Munteanu. Spajić praised the Republic of Moldova's progress and reaffirmed Montenegro's support, stating, "We will continue to support the Republic of Moldova on its European path."
In May 2025, the Republic of Moldova and Montenegro signed a Memorandum of Cooperation on European integration. This memorandum aims to facilitate the joint exchange of information and expertise during the accession process to the European Union, according to the cited source.
