Moldova ready to open first negotiation cluster with European Union, says Moldovan foreign minister

The Republic of Moldova is closer than ever to opening the first negotiation cluster for accession to the European Union, and the chances for a positive decision in the upcoming period are very high, said Minister of Foreign Affairs Mihai Popșoi during a TV program.

According to the official, the Republic of Moldova enjoys the support of all EU member states, and its bilateral relations with them are excellent.


“The openness towards the Republic of Moldova is maximal. Our bilateral relations are excellent with absolutely all EU member countries,” Popșoi said today.


The official emphasized that our country has been ready for some time to open the negotiations and the process of harmonization with European legislation and standards has continued consistently, including during the period when certain formal decisions at the European level were pending.

Mihai Popșoi highlighted that the Republic of Moldova has not wasted time but has actively advanced in preparing the negotiation chapters so that, once the clusters are officially opened, the process can move forward at an accelerated pace.


“We have advanced, we have not wasted time, and once we formally open the negotiations, the work will already have been done,” Popșoi said.


He recalled that in last year’s European Commission Enlargement Report, the Republic of Moldova was rated as one of the best-performing candidates for accession.

Referring to the European path of the Republic of Moldova in the regional context, the foreign minister pointed out that there are no obstacles preventing our country from advancing on the path to accession. At the same time, he noted that each candidate state follows its own pace of negotiation and reform implementation, and the Republic of Moldova is determined to make the most of the opportunities provided by the European Union’s enlargement process.


“Each candidate country moves at its own speed,” the minister stated, referring to examples from the Western Balkans, where some countries have advanced more rapidly than others in accession negotiations.


According to the official, the strategic objective of the Republic of Moldova remains accession to the European Union and full integration into the European family. In this context, the reforms implemented as part of the accession process are not only aimed at meeting European criteria but also at improving citizens’ quality of life, strengthening institutions, and modernizing the state.


“All processes of adapting to European standards are meant to bring the Republic of Moldova closer to the level of development and prosperity of EU member states and to provide tangible benefits to citizens,” Mihai Popșoi underlined.


Previously, Euractiv wrote that on 16 June the European Commission intends to propose opening the first group of negotiation chapters on the accession of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine to the European Union, and European leaders could approve the decision at the European Council summit in Brussels scheduled two days later.

According to the publication, the proposal will be presented at the meeting of European affairs ministers in the EU’s General Affairs Council. The timeline would allow the heads of state and government of the 27 member states to give the official green light to advancing negotiations with the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.

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 assesses the compatibility of national legislation with the European acquis. In mid-December 2025, our country launched technical discussions on the first negotiation chapters. Chișinău authorities have emphasized that this stage marks a crucial phase of the accession negotiations, which will lay the foundation for future progress in the process of the Republic of Moldova’s integration into the EU.