Moldova counts on France’s support to open final two clusters of EU accession negotiation chapters

Moldova is counting on France’s support to open, by the end of 2026, the final two clusters of negotiation chapters for accession to the European Union. The subject was discussed by Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu and Yaël Braun-Pivet, President of the National Assembly of France, at a meeting held in Rome, on the sidelines of the European Conference of Presidents of Parliament of the Council of Europe member states.

According to Igor Grosu, the discussions focused on the reforms carried out by  Moldova as part of the European integration process, bilateral cooperation and challenges in the energy sector.

“Moldova has officially opened four clusters of negotiation chapters for accession to the European Union. We are continuing the reforms and meeting every condition on merit. We are counting on France’s support to take the next steps and open the final two clusters of chapters by the end of the year,” Igor Grosu said.

The parliament speaker officially thanked the French official for supporting Moldova’s European path and for the cooperation between the parliaments of the two countries. The bilateral agenda includes collaboration between parliamentary friendship groups and specialized committees.

The meeting also addressed challenges related to ensuring energy security, particularly the need to guarantee citizens’ supply of natural gas and electricity during the cold season.

Igor Grosu also welcomed the vote by French lawmakers on the recognition of Moldovan driving licences in France. Another objective of bilateral cooperation is to advance, by the end of 2026, the agreement in the field of social protection.

According to Igor Grosu, the agreement is expected to help protect the social rights of citizens who work in both countries and ensure the proper recognition of the years worked both in the Republic of Moldova and in France.

The European Conference of Presidents of Parliament of the Council of Europe member states is taking place in Rome and brings together parliamentary officials for discussions on European cooperation and common challenges. The Moldovan parliament speaker spoke during the panel dedicated to hybrid threats against resilient democracies, presenting Moldova’s experience in combating foreign interference and defending democratic processes.