The Republic of Moldova could be among the candidate countries for which the European Commission will soon propose new roadmaps in the accession process. The announcement was made by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in her annual State of the Union address, delivered in the European Parliament.
Von der Leyen specifically mentioned the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, and the Western Balkan states when speaking about the future expansion of the European Union.
The President of the European Commission stated that the future of these states lies in the European Union and announced that Brussels will soon propose roadmaps for the candidate countries that have made the most progress, writes nordnews.md.
She clarified, however, that the accession process will continue to be based on the merits of each state, and adherence to European values remains a non-negotiable condition.
The Republic of Moldova is already in an advanced stage of accession negotiations. Candidate country status was granted in June 2022, and official accession negotiations were launched in June 2024.
The process advanced in 2026. On June 15, the European Union and the Republic of Moldova opened the first negotiation cluster, “Fundamentals”, which includes areas such as the rule of law, democratic institutions, public administration reform, and economic criteria.
A month later, on July 14, the cluster on external relations was also opened, which includes foreign, security and defense policy, as well as external trade relations.
Brussels emphasizes that the pace of negotiations still depends on the reforms made by each candidate country and on meeting the criteria established in the accession process.