President Maia Sandu’s speech at the European Parliament on the occasion of receiving the European Order of Merit

 

President Metsola, 

President von der Leyen, 

Distinguished laureates, 

Honorable members of the European Parliament, 

Thank you for the honour of the European Order of Merit. Receiving it alongside leaders who have shaped this continent — and in this house, built on the idea that Europeans are stronger together — is humbling.

But if merit is the measure, this distinction belongs to the Moldovan people. They are the ones who earned it.

For three decades, Moldovans have been building their European future — overcoming a difficult economic transition, taking to the streets when democracy was in danger, pushing back when oligarchs tried to capture the state — and voting for Europe again and again, in the face of Russian threats and blackmail. That is merit.

It is the merit of the civil servants working relentlessly to align every sphere of public life to European standards. 

The journalists who, despite hardship, have earned Moldova its place among the countries with a free press. 

The policymakers and engineers who broke our energy dependency on Russia and connected us to Europe in less than four years. 

The businesses that over the past decade made a dramatic shift towards Europe — so that today two thirds of our trade is with the EU. 

The judges and prosecutors who choose to be brave. The police officers dismantling the networks that destabilise Moldova and threaten neighbouring countries. 

The teachers, the doctors, the people who stayed — and those abroad who remain invested in Moldova's future. All those who build, who believe. That is merit.

We do all of this while living next door to Russia's brutal war — while Kremlin missiles and drones violate our airspace, pollute our waters, and damage our energy infrastructure. Moldovans do not yield. That is merit.

So my plea to you, to EU institutions and member states, is simple: reward this merit.Let Moldova move forward in its European journey.

Thank you.