Moldovan president, in interview with Le Monde, says joining EU not just dream for Moldova, but strategy of survival as democratic state

Joining the European Union is not just a dream for us, but a survival strategy as a democratic state. We have committed to our citizens that the country would be ready to join the European Union by 2030 and we are working actively in this regard. President Maia Sandu has made statements to this effect in an interview given with the French newspaper Le Monde.

The head of state underlined that the country’s European integration would allow Moldova to withstand Russian pressure. “We are at the stage of implementing important reforms, especially in the field of justice and the fight against corruption. We are already seeing the first results, including convictions in major corruption cases. We are confident that we will be able to honour our commitments on the path towards the EU,” Maia Sandu stressed.

The official emphasized that, in the process of EU integration, she was counting on the support of the member states.

“We hope that, following the latest elections in Hungary, the situation will evolve and the member states of the European Union will open the clusters of negotiation chapters. We are also very grateful for the support provided to our country by France and by President Emmanuel Macron,” Maia Sandu added.

Moldova submitted its application for accession to the European Union on March 3, 2022, and on June 23, 2022 it got the 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, the accession negotiations officially started.

In September 2025, Moldova concluded the bilateral screening with the EU – a stage that analyses the compatibility of national legislation with the European acquis. In mid-December 2025, the country began technical discussions on the first negotiation chapters. The Moldovan authorities underlined that this stage marked a crucial phase of the accession negotiations, which will underpin future progress in the process of Moldova’s integration into the EU.