Moldova on frontline of EU enlargement

The Republic of Moldova is registering a remarkable pace of reform, managing to obtain the mandate to begin technical negotiations on all 33 accession chapters, despite unprecedented pressure from Russia. The announcement was made on Monday by the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, during a session of the European Parliament, where it was emphasized that Moldova and Ukraine are performance leaders, while progress in the Western Balkans remains slow.

Referring to the Republic of Moldova, Marta Kos underlined that the authorities in Chișinău are advancing at a sustained pace in implementing the reforms needed for accession to the European Union, despite external pressures and the tense regional context generated by the war in Ukraine.

“Despite pressure from Russia and the effects of the war in Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova is carrying out high-quality reforms at a sustained pace,” Kos said.

The Commissioner confirmed that Moldova’s technical progress is at the highest level.

“Last month, the member states gave us the mandate to start technical negotiations for all 33 negotiation chapters. This was a recognition of the extraordinary efforts of the Moldovan people,” she noted.

While progress in the Western Balkans is uneven, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine are seen as the current engines of enlargement.

“As with Ukraine, we are looking forward to a Council decision to officially open all six negotiation clusters for Moldova,” Kos stressed.

The Commissioner issued a warning regarding the states in the Western Balkans: “While Ukraine and Moldova are performing well, progress has been much slower in the Western Balkans. I have written to the authorities in the region to step up their reforms, otherwise their citizens will lose out. At present, over 700 million euros risk being lost permanently across the region if reforms are not completed by June 2026 or December 2026.”

Marta Kos expressed her “concern” about developments in Georgia and Serbia, where democratic backsliding is distancing these countries from the EU, while the Republic of Moldova is taking decisive steps toward anchoring itself in the European political space. A key point of her speech was the inclusion of the Republic of Moldova in new security structures even before actual accession.

“When it comes to defending freedom and democracy, our current and future member states are fighting the same fight. In many ways, some of our candidate countries know this fight even better than we do. Look at Ukraine. Look at Moldova,” Marta Kos said.

In this regard, the European official announced the expansion of cooperation through the “European Shield of Democracy.”

“We must treat our future members as equals. Now. Not when it is too late.”

The Commissioner concluded her remarks by reiterating that enlargement is “once again one of the most strategic policies of the European Union,” and that the Republic of Moldova is an essential part of this vision of peace and stability on the continent.

The Republic of Moldova submitted its application for accession to the European Union on 3 March 2022, and on 23 June 2022 it obtained candidate country status, with a recommendation to continue reforms. In November 2023, European assessments confirmed Moldova’s progress and recommended the opening of accession negotiations, a decision approved by EU leaders in December 2023. On 25 June 2024, accession negotiations officially began.

In September 2025, the Republic of Moldova completed the bilateral screening with the EU – a stage that analyzes the compatibility of national legislation with the European acquis. In mid-December 2025, the country launched technical discussions on the first negotiation chapters. The authorities in Chișinău underlined that this stage marks a crucial phase of the accession negotiations, which will underpin future progress in the process of integrating the Republic of Moldova into the EU.