Republic of Moldova among countries in EU enlargement perspective

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday in her State of the Union address delivered at the European Parliament that the Union must win back “the hearts of Europeans” and strengthen the sense of belonging to a broader European community. Ursula von der Leyen explicitly cited the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and the Western Balkan countries as examples of states close to the European Union where the European idea is still alive.


“We must win back the hearts of Europeans, recreate the sense of belonging, the belonging to something greater than ourselves, belonging to a common home. The certainty that we, as Europeans, will always be there for one another,” Ursula von der Leyen said.



“Because we only need to look beyond our borders to understand the extent to which this European idea is still alive. I only need to look at Moldova, at Ukraine, at the Western Balkans,” the European Commission president added.


In the same context, von der Leyen announced that she would soon propose roadmaps for candidate countries at the most advanced stage of the accession process. She stressed that the enlargement process would continue to be merit-based, while respect for European values “is not negotiable.”

The Republic of Moldova opened its first cluster of European Union accession negotiations in June 2026, a step described by the European Commission as an important stage in the country’s European path.

An important part of the speech was devoted to European security. Ursula von der Leyen proposed the creation of a European Security Council involving, alongside EU member states, partner countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Norway and Ukraine. She also called for a European mechanism to respond to hybrid threats, including drone attacks, acts of sabotage and cyberattacks.

Regarding Ukraine, the European Commission president reaffirmed the Union’s support for the country at war and linked Ukraine’s security to Europe’s security.

Another proposal announced by von der Leyen concerns relations with Canada. She suggested that Canada become the European Union’s first associate member, in an expanded partnership covering areas such as energy, technology, industry and defence.

Migration and the protection of external borders were also on the agenda. The Commission president announced her intention to propose a European response framework for situations involving massive inflows of migrants, including cases in which migration is “instrumentalised” or “weaponised.”

Von der Leyen also spoke about the need to strengthen the competitiveness of the European economy, reduce strategic dependencies, manage trade relations with China, and accelerate the energy and climate transition. Her speech also addressed the protection of children online, including the preparation of new European measures concerning the safety of minors on digital platforms.