The Foreign Minister of Germany: Moldova is an enrichment for the European Union

IPN.md

1 July 2025
20:22

The Federal Foreign Minister of Germany, Johann Wadephul, who visited Chisinau on July 1st, reaffirmed Berlin’s support for the European path of the Republic of Moldova. In a statement held in the capital’s center, the German minister expressed his confidence that Moldova will find its place in the European community, reports IPN.

“Today, I came to the Republic of Moldova because, like many in Europe, I believe in Moldova’s European future. The European Union has opened its doors wide to all countries that share our values, that want to join us, that want to become members of this strong community”, declared Johann Wadephul.

According to the German official, the European Union is a community of diversity, where freedom of expression, human rights, the rule of law, and parliamentary democracy are respected. And Moldova “would be a true enrichment for the European Union”, because it is a valuable country economically and culturally, and it integrates into the diversity that defines the European Union.

“Different languages, different cultures, different religions, different opinions, and even slightly different parliamentary systems find a home under the roof of the European Union”, said the federal minister.

Johann Wadephul warned about the disinformation attempts launched by Russia, emphasizing that “in the European Union, each country can maintain its identity, customs, and traditions”.

The German official expressed his hope that the citizens of Moldova will decide to continue following the European path. “If they desire this, then they will have the support of the Federal Republic of Germany in this journey. But it is the free and sovereign decision of each country whether or not it wants to continue its approach to the European Union”, reiterated Johann Wadephul.

When asked if he will continue the Support Platform for Moldova, an initiative launched by his predecessor, Johann Wadephul confirmed that Germany’s support remains constant. “I have just made this journey, just as my predecessor made her last journey to Ukraine and here, in Moldova. I did this consciously, because I want to continue what was started and because I see a complete continuity of our policy in this regard”, Wadephul stated.

The German official stated that technical preparations for a future meeting within the Support Platform are already underway, but a decision on convening will be made based on internal developments in Moldova, especially considering the upcoming elections in September. “Voters are sovereign in all democratically governed countries and they decide how things move forward. Therefore, I believe it is right to show respect for the electoral decision here, in Moldova, and to wait to see how the people will decide”, concluded the Federal Foreign Minister of Germany.

Berlin European Integration Germany Johann Wadephul Moldova

Flyone requests the cancellation of CEIISS and ASP decisions and threatens with actions at the ECHR

The fourth grade students will be graded in Romanian Language and Mathematics starting from September 1

Week in Brief – IPN Newsletter

Victims of the Holocaust from the Chisinau ghetto, commemorated at the Memorial

34 injured in the wake of Russian bombings in Ukraine. Kiev has attacked infrastructure targets in Russia

The A7 Network and owner MGRES, on the list of the new EU sanctions package against Russia

by Bolohan Maxim 24.07.2026

The A7 crypto network, led by fugitive oligarch Ilan Șor, and the Russian company Inter RAO, which owns the Moldovan power plant in Cuciurgan (MGRES), are targeted in the 21st package of sanctions from the European Union against Russia, reports IPN.

The new package includes four new designations related to the A7 network, among which are recently identified connections with Africa. The network is associated by European institutions with support given to Moscow in evading international sanctions through crypto platforms.

The measure comes in parallel with the expansion of the trading ban for 14 cryptocurrency platforms registered in Georgia, Panama, United Arab Emirates, Marshall Islands, Kyrgyzstan and Belarus. At the same time, a tool was introduced for the first time that allows the EU to impose a total ban at the level of a third country for the crypto asset services used by Russia to evade sanctions.

At the same time, the EU Council has included the Russian company Inter RAO in the new sanctions list, which has owned the power plant in the Transnistrian region since 2005. Chisinau has not been purchasing energy from MGRES since 2024 and intends to put into operation, in August, the Isaccea-Vulcanesti-Chisinau power line, which bypasses the Cuciurgan power plant.

The 21st package of sanctions against Moscow as a result of the outbreak of the war of aggression in Ukraine was adopted on Thursday by the EU Council and targets the sectors with the greatest impact on the Russian economy: energy, financial services and cryptocurrencies. It contains the most extensive expansion of the list of sanctioned entities, 218 in total, of which 48 are individuals and 170 are companies, including refineries in Russia and Belarus, as well as companies related to the production of drones and drone components. The final list of sanctions now includes 250 individuals and over 660 companies.

24.07.2026

Oleg Ivancioglo: The consultation of citizens must remain a condition even in the case of normative amalgamation

Gagauzia can become an advantage for Moldova, Fiodor Gagauz

Former deputy Fiodor Gagauz announces that he will run for the position of Governor of Gagauzia

Explainer | The neutrality of the Republic of Moldova, between “militarization” and the alleged participation in the war in Ukraine

Eremei Priseajniuc: Nobody knows what the criterion for merging districts is

The Foreign Minister of Germany: Moldova is an enrichment for the European Union

IPN.md

1 July 2025
20:22

Johann Wadephul warned about the disinformation attempts launched by Russia, emphasizing that “in the European Union, each country can maintain its identity, customs, and traditions”.

Berlin European Integration Germany Johann Wadephul Moldova

The Parliament expands its control over the management of emergency states

Fire at a refrigeration warehouse in the capital. No casualties have been reported

A drone that entered Romanian airspace was shot down by an F16 aircraft

Fiscal and monetary policies in the context of EU integration will be discussed at a conference organized by BNM

Protest at ANRE: demonstrators criticized the gas price hike and demand the postponement of the decision

Dan Nicorici: Financial incentives are the engine of voluntary amalgamation

by Editor Editor 24.07.2026

The financial incentives offered by the state have become the main factor that has led several localities to accept the process of voluntary amalgamation, considered the first step in the APL reform. The statement belongs to the expert of the Center for Policies and Reforms, Dan Nicorici, and was made during the public debate “The reform of local public administration and the amalgamation process – from voluntary to normative”, organized by the IPN Press Agency. According to the expert, in conditions where hundreds of town halls are faced with limited financial resources and reduced administrative capacity, the financial support promised by the Government has encouraged local authorities to opt for amalgamation.

According to the expert, one of the main issues that the reform is trying to solve is the high degree of fragmentation of local public administration, where most town halls manage small communities.

“The local public administration is highly fragmented. We have 892 town halls, of which over 700 have a population of less than 3 thousand inhabitants. This number is well below the European Union average,” explained the Program Director of the Center for Policies and Reforms.

According to him, the current political context represents an opportunity for the implementation of the reform. “We are in the first year after the elections and now there is a window of opportunity when the reform can be done, so that local elections can be organized afterwards. Another argument in favor of the reform is the financial aspect. The administrative capacity of the authorities is far below the necessary minimum. The local public administrations have very few employees who cannot cover their own expenses. Through this reform, the Government comes to support small town halls”, said Dan Nicorici.

Referring to the first clusters of town halls that voluntarily amalgamated, the expert pointed out that the financial support promised by the authorities was the decisive factor that convinced the localities to associate. At the same time, he believes that the experience of these communities will serve as a benchmark for evaluating the results of the reform and for adjusting administrative organization models.

“Municipalities that have voluntarily amalgamated were promised financial incentives, and this was the main driver of the amalgamation. We have two clusters that have already amalgamated: these are Leova and Calinesti, they represent case studies for many analyses,” the expert further said.

Disclaimer: This material was prepared by the IPN Press Agency, within the project “Local Public Administration Reform in Dialogue”, funded by the Ministry of Culture from the Media Subsidy Fund.

24.07.2026

Alexandru Arsenie: Four-five districts must be unified into a single administrative entity

Explainer | Migrants in the Republic of Moldova: between reality and disinformation

Admission to professional schools and colleges has begun. Over 12 thousand budgetary places

Fuel prices continue to rise, gasoline exceeds the threshold of 29 lei per liter

Mutual attacks between Russia and Ukraine: at least three dead and over a hundred injured