What strategic alignment with European Union's values entails: deputy PM for European integration explains benefits Moldova can gain

Alignment with the European Union’s values and strategic interests entails respecting the principles of the rule of law, harmonizing legislation in areas of importance to the bloc, and bringing Moldova’s foreign and security policy closer to the EU’s one. Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Cristina Gherasimov has made statements to this effect at the Shadow Cabinet programme.

According to the official, the rule of law is one of the European Union’s main strategic interests and candidate countries must demonstrate that they respect the community’s fundamental values. Gherasimov noted that the document establishes general guidelines for all candidate countries, including gradual access to European benefits.

“One strategic interest is, of course, the rule of law, and here we must be fully aligned with the values underpinning the European Union. So, if you have a corrupt administration, you will not have access to certain benefits until accession. But, again, this does not apply to our case. These are general guidelines for all candidate countries,” Cristina Gherasimov said.

The deputy PM cited Moldova’s integration into the Roam Like at Home programme as an example. The programme allows citizens to use roaming services in the European Union at rates similar to those at home. According to her, access to this benefit became possible after national legislation was harmonized with European legislation in the telecommunications sector.

“The fact that today we can communicate more cheaply when we are abroad through Roam Like at Home involved alignment with all the legislation governing the telecommunications sector. This is highly complex legislation that even Western member states had not adopted or implemented. We managed to do this, and the fact that we aligned with telecommunications legislation in record time allowed the European Union to extend this programme to citizens of Moldova,” the official noted.

Gherasimov also said that strategic alignment covered more areas considered priorities for the European Union, including transport, artificial intelligence, energy, defense and security, telecommunications and the digital sector. In these areas, candidate countries that prove compliance with European standards could benefit from additional opportunities for cooperation and participation in EU programmes.

Referring to foreign policy and the sanctions imposed by the EU against the Russian Federation, the deputy prime minister said that moving closer to European positions was part of strategic alignment. Moldova has increased its level of alignment with the European Union’s foreign and security policy from 87 to 91 per cent.

“Our country has increased its level of alignment. We were at 87 per cent, and now we are at 91 per cent. We are not yet at 100 per cent, but this concerns three of the 41 regimes with which we are still not aligned. These were also regimes with which we were not aligned last year, and we explain why it is still difficult for us to align with them, but our objective is to do so in the near future,” Cristina Gherasimov said.

Thus, strategic alignment involves both adopting European norms and standards and assuming common positions with the European Union in areas of major interest, including foreign policy, security and defense.

The year 2027 will be important for Moldova’s reform agenda in the process of joining the European Union. The authorities aim to advance the alignment of national legislation with the EU acquis and to demonstrate that the reforms are being implemented and producing concrete results for citizens.