Speech by Prime Minister following EU–Moldova Association Council

Dear High Representative Kallas,

Dear Commissioner Kos,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Thank you for today’s discussion.

This was the tenth EU–Moldova Association Council and my first one as prime minister.

Allow me to begin by thanking you, dear Kaja and dear Marta, and, through you, the Commission, the Member States and the teams working alongside us every day.

European integration is Moldova’s national project. The political, technical, financial and security support we receive from the European Union is essential to moving it forward. We are deeply grateful for this support and do not take it for granted.

I would highlight three points from today’s meeting.

First, the accession process continues to advance.

This summer, we opened Clusters 1 and 6. We are now working to open the remaining clusters and to assess the interim benchmarks in a timely manner.

Our objective is to complete the technical work required to conclude the negotiations by early 2028 and to prepare Moldova for membership by 2030.

It is an ambitious timeline. But we are not afraid of ambitious tasks.

We are not asking for lower standards or shortcuts. We believe in a predictable, merit-based process in which progress in reforms is followed by progress in negotiations.

Second, the implementation of the Growth Plan is moving forward.

During the latest reporting period, Moldova fulfilled 18 reform commitments. On this basis, the Commission is disbursing a further 157 million euros. We are very grateful for this support.

It directly increases our capacity to finance investments in the country – in transport, energy, water, healthcare, education and other areas.

I also appreciate the discipline built into the mechanism itself: reforms are completed, results are assessed, and funding follows.

But ultimately, these figures matter only if people can see the results.

So allow me to continue in Romanian and address directly those watching us from home.

Dear citizens,

I know that when you watch a press conference from Brussels, you ask yourselves what all of this means for you.

What is changing in the place where you live, in the business you run, in your family’s life?

It is the right question.

Today, another 157 million euros is being disbursed after the completion of the 18 reforms during the latest reporting period.

Under the Reform Agenda, we have so far completed approximately 95% of the measures planned for that period.

This money helps us finance investments in transport, energy, water and sanitation, healthcare and education.

Economic integration is already producing concrete results.

In the first half of the year, around two-thirds of Moldova’s goods exports went to the European Union – approximately 1.3 billion euros in exports, an increase of more than 10%, even amid a challenging global context.

This is a clear example of the critical importance the European Union has for our economy.

Through SEPA, the average cost of a euro transfer is now around 1 euro, compared with fees that previously started at 20 euros.

The Common Transit Convention simplifies the transport of goods. Roaming with the European Union is cheaper, allowing people to communicate more easily with their loved ones.

These are very concrete examples of European integration.

Both from the European Commission and the Member States, we have repeatedly heard that Moldova is a good student in this class of candidate countries – especially when we take into account our starting point.

But the closer we get to the finish line, the greater our responsibility becomes.

Brussels can offer us access to the market, funding, expertise and political support.

But Brussels cannot make our institutions function better. It cannot implement projects in our place. It cannot simplify our procedures.

This part of the work must be done in Chișinău.

And I want to thank the people who made today’s progress possible.

They are civil servants who canceled their holidays this summer, gave up time with their families and, during these months, worked many evenings, nights and weekends.

Behind every reform are people who prepare, verify, negotiate and remove obstacles.

We rarely know their names. But much of the progress we are discussing today is due to them.

We are in a decisive period. Just a few years ago, for many people the idea that Moldova could become an EU member seemed almost impossible.

Today, we are discussing concrete dates and targets to bring Moldova into the great European family and to fulfill this historic mission of our generation.

Opportunities like these come rarely. It is our responsibility not to miss them, and we will make every effort to do so.

Allow me to return to English for the third point – security and energy.

The security environment around Moldova has become more difficult.

The repeated violations of Moldova’s airspace by Russian drones and missiles represent a serious risk to our population and civilian infrastructure.

We are grateful for the EU’s support in strengthening Moldova’s resilience and defense capabilities through the European Peace Facility.

For us, air surveillance and air defense are clear priorities.

We also remain a devoted neighbor and friend of Ukraine, with which we share a 1,222-kilometer border – the longest among all countries west of Ukraine. This commitment also means making decisions that are not always easy domestically, including facilitating the transit of Ukrainian grain through Moldova. We do this because maintaining Ukraine’s access to export routes matters for regional stability and global food security.

And Moldova is contributing as well. Our personnel serve in EU missions, and we share with our European partners the experience we have gained in countering hybrid threats and electoral interference.

Energy is the other immediate concern.

We have prepared for the heating season and worked to ensure supplies. But security of supply is only part of the challenge. The more difficult issue this winter will be affordability.

Our responsibility as a government is to ensure supplies and protect the most vulnerable households from the impact of the energy price shock.

Here too, the European Union has stood by Moldova – helping us diversify our sources of supply, build interconnections, reform our energy market and protect vulnerable consumers.

And perhaps this is the most important conclusion from today.

A few years ago, much of what we discussed at this Association Council would have seemed distant: accession negotiations, integration into the European market, SEPA, European roaming, new energy interconnections and deeper cooperation in the field of security.

Today, these are concrete realities.

They are the result of tremendous work in Moldova, as well as the extraordinary support and trust of the European Union and its Member States.

We are grateful for this partnership.

We leave today’s Council with a clear work programme, but also with confidence. Moldova has made significant progress, the European Union has stood by us at every important stage, and now we have the opportunity to take the next steps together.

For Moldova, the task is to continue delivering results – in reforms, investments, security and protecting our citizens during the winter ahead.

And as we do so, we look forward to continuing this journey with the same close cooperation, trust and support that have brought us this far.

Thank you.