Moldovan head of state at European Parliament says Moldova's future depends on courage, unity with which citizens go to vote

The Presidency of the Republic of Moldova

President Maia Sandu today delivered a speech at the plenary session of the European Parliament. She discussed the defense of democracies, Moldova's resilience and the major risks facing the country on the brink of the parliamentary elections due on September 28.

The head of state reminded that no European democracy had been fully consolidated at the time of joining the European Union. "Each democracy in this room was built, supported, and protected—with the help of others," said Maia Sandu, recalling that Germany and France, devastated by war, had found reconciliation in the EU; Greece, Spain and Portugal joined the Union shortly after shedding dictatorial regimes; and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe joined after the fall of communism. In all these situations, EU membership provided protection and strengthened democracy.

The president emphasized that Moldova, in the last three decades, had managed to build a lively, albeit fragile, democracy: it faced the armed conflict at the Dniester, economic crises, embargoes and energy blackmail, the influence of oligarchs and even a banking fraud that shook the state. And last year, Moldovans also withstood a large Russian interference.

The head of state also referred to the parliamentary elections due on September 28. "The result will determine whether we consolidate as a stable democracy on the path to the European Union—as a secure neighbor of Ukraine and a provider of security for the Union—or whether Russia destabilizes us, tears us away from Europe and turns us into a threat on Ukraine's southwestern border and Europe's eastern frontier," Maia Sandu warned.

The Moldovan president talked about the Kremlin's ways to manipulate and influence the elections: illegal funding through cryptocurrencies, vote-buying schemes, deepfakes and disinformation campaigns on social networks, cyberattacks on state institutions, paid protests and attempts to divide communities. "Moldova can be a laboratory. But the ultimate target is Europe," stressed President Sandu.

In front of MEPs, Maia Sandu urged a rethinking of the means by which Europe defends its democracies: "We no longer live in peacetime. There is war in Europe again. If the threats are new, the defense tools must also be new. The only way forward is to defend our democracies tooth and nail—and to do it together."

"This is how Europe has endured—through adaptation, through reconstruction, transforming fragility into strength," specified President Maia Sandu.

In conclusion, the head of state directly addressed the citizens of Moldova with a call for unity and civic responsibility: "Now we must take the decisive step: elect a Parliament that will take Moldova into the European Union. Moldova's future depends on the courage and unity with which we go to vote."

The agenda of the visit to Strasbourg continues with a meeting with Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, vice-president of the European Commission, meetings with representatives of political groups of the European Parliament, as well as with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset.