Parliament Asks EU to Grant Moldova Membership
“In a resolution adopted on Thursday, Parliament welcomes Moldova’s EU membership application, saying the country is on the right track in adopting key reforms,” the statement of the Parliament reads.
Through its most recent press release, the Parliament emphasised that the candidate status to Moldova should be granted in line the Article 49 TEU and ‘on the basis of merit’, AtoZSerwisPlus.com reports.
In the meantime, it has been noted that the EU and Moldova should continue to work on integrating the country into the EU single market and on enhanced sectoral cooperation.
Since Moldova has been disproportionately affected by the Russian war in Ukraine, the Members of the Parliament called on the EU Commission to swiftly complete its application assessment and provide Moldova with full assistance while the current process is ongoing.
The MEPs said that without prejudging the content of the Commission’s opinion, the authorities of Moldova are on the right track by adopting key reforms, notably on the rules of law, democracy, and human rights.
The resolution that was adopted today, on May 5, also expresses concern over the recent developments on the territory of the Transnistrian regions, which has witnessed a number of incidents last month. In addition, the MEPs also reiterate the support of Parliament for a “comprehensive, peaceful and lasting political settlement of the Transnistrian conflict”.
The resolution also follows the high number of Ukrainian refugees that arrived in Moldova since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. More than 450,000 Ukrainian refugees have arrived in Moldova until now. Of the total number of refugees, 100,000 still remain in Moldova.
“To this end, MEPs call on the EU to provide more support for the country, i.e., via new macro-financial assistance, further transport and trade liberalisation measures, and continued support for refugee management and humanitarian purposes,” the Parliament added.
Apart from the above-mentioned, the Parliament has stressed that it is unacceptable that Russia has been weaponizing its gas supply to exert political pressure on Moldova in order to influence the political trajectory of the country and its geopolitical orientations, especially after the recent installment of the country’s pro-western government.
Thus, MEPs call on the Commission and the EU Member States to support Moldova in ensuring its energy independence, diversification, connectivity, and efficacy, as well as accelerating the development of renewable energy sources.
Moldova has already marked eight years of visa-free travel to the EU. Citizens of Moldova have been able to reach the EU Member States without being required to follow extended visa procedures.
