Debate: The challenges facing the Republic of Moldova
Date: TUESDAY, 14 MARCH 2023
Speaker: Olivér Várhelyi
Language: EN

Since the start of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, Moldova has been facing the consequences of Russia’s brutal aggression just tens of kilometres away from its borders. It has been confronted with a growing number of challenges, such as loss of key markets, soaring inflation, violating of its airspace and staged protests. Nevertheless, Moldova has shown remarkable solidarity with the refugees fleeing Ukraine.  What is happening now? According to the Moldovan authorities, the probability of direct military aggression against Moldova is currently low. Moreover, the de facto authorities in the Transnistria region want to avoid being drawn into Russia’s war of aggression. But vigilance is necessary due to the presence of Russian troops and ammunition in the Transnistria region. Over the last months, there have been increasing Russian attempts to destabilise Moldova with hybrid actions. The president of Moldova, Maia Sandu, has warned about plans to attempt a change of power through violent means. Russia’s lies about Ukraine massing troops to attack Moldova’s pro-Russian separatist region of Transnistria were swiftly denied by Chişinău. At the same time, high energy prices and high inflation have increased the burden on the population, worsening their living conditions. Russia has used, again, energy supplies as a political weapon. But the Moldovan Government, with the EU’s support, has managed to tackle these unprecedented challenges. It is remarkable that despite all the pressures, Moldova now is an EU candidate country and it continues working on reforms that aim to bring the country closer to the EU. And in that regard, on 2 February this year, Commission services provided further policy guidance on EU acquis-related reforms in our analytical report. This is to complement our opinion of last year on the country’s application for EU membership to be followed by a comprehensive assessment of Moldova’s progress in meeting the EU accession criteria later on this year in the autumn. Honourable Members, let me stress that Moldova remains on top of the EU’s political agenda with our unwavering support to the country’s security, territorial integrity and sovereignty. Over the last 12 months, the EU has put together a comprehensive support package worth more than EUR 1 billion to strengthen Moldova’s resilience. Moreover, the Economic and Investment Plan for our Eastern partners has a significant potential, which needs to be fully tapped to support Moldova’s reform agenda. The five flagship initiatives we agreed together aim to unlock EUR 1.6 billion of investments for Moldova. We are supporting the modernisation of Moldova’s defence sector with the support of the European Peace Facility by providing EUR 47 million. We will effectively double Moldova’s national defence budget. High Representative Vice-President Borrell has proposed to EU Member States to maintain a substantial level of financial assistance to Moldova also this year. Additionally, EU experts are supporting Moldova on cybersecurity, addressing hybrid threats and countering disinformation. The EU also launched a hub to address internal security and border management challenges. And we are looking at further ways to support Moldova. High Representative Vice-President Borrell is taking forward the work on preparing a possible EU-civilian CSDP mission to further strengthen Moldova’s security and resilience. The deployment of such a mission would provide yet another important political signal of EU support in the current difficult circumstances. The Commission and the EEAS’ services, together with the Member States, are also exploring a possible new sanctions regime targeting individuals who seek to destabilise this country. Despite all the challenges that Moldova is facing, in June, it will host the second summit of the European Political Community. I want to reassure you that the EU stands in solidarity with the people of Moldova, even in these challenging times and the future of Moldova and its citizens is within the European Union.