PHOTO // Speaker at Euronest Assembly: EU enlargement - path to more stable, more coherent Europe, better able to protect fundamental values

The European Union enlargement is the path to a more stable, more coherent Europe, better able to protect its fundamental values. This path also comes with responsibility, which requires the continuation of reforms at home. Speaker Igor Grosu made the statement in the context of the meetings of the standing committees and the Bureau of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly (PA), held on 21–22 April this year in Chișinău.

The Speaker noted that the event reconfirms the importance of mutual regional support.


“I told the participants that EU enlargement is not a whim, but a necessity. It is the path to a more stable, more coherent Europe, better able to protect its fundamental values. But this path also comes with responsibility. It is our duty, all of us, to continue reforms at home and to act with solidarity and clarity in the decisions we take together. For the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, Armenia and our partners in the European Union, our cooperation is taking on a new dimension – in addition to dialogue and the exchange of experience, it is about protecting what we are building together,” said Igor Grosu.


On the margins of the event, several joint meetings of the standing committees of the Euronest PA took place. Thus, during the meeting of the Committee on Political Affairs, Human Rights and Democracy, discussions focused on shaping the security of the Eastern Partnership, countering hybrid warfare, upholding the rule of law, ensuring the integrity of elections and strengthening the resilience of institutions and societies in the Eastern Partnership countries, in the context of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and other conflicts in the region.

Members of the Committee on Energy Security addressed two main topics: increasing the efficiency of energy flows, including hydrogen, and developing renewable energy markets in the Eastern Partnership region, as a key investment for regional and European security and prosperity. The exchange of views also covered the potential role of small modular reactors in strengthening energy security and independence in the region.

Meetings were also held by the Committee on Economic Integration, Legal Approximation and Convergence with EU Policies, and the Committee on Social Affairs, Employment, Education, Culture and Civil Society of the Euronest PA. These discussed the importance of regional interconnectivity for Europe’s economic security and prosperity.

The Euronest Parliamentary Assembly was established on 3 May 2011 in Brussels, when the Speakers of the Parliaments of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and the European Union signed the Assembly’s Constituent Act. The mission of the Euronest PA is to promote the conditions necessary to accelerate political association and economic integration between the EU and its Eastern European partners, as well as to strengthen cooperation within the region and between the region and the EU. The Assembly also contributes to strengthening, developing and increasing the visibility of the Eastern Partnership.