The European Commission has recommended the start of accession negotiations with Moldova, but the final say belongs to the European Council, which will assemble in December. Janis Mazeiks, EU ambassador to Moldova, says that in making a decision the Council will look not only at technical aspects, but also at the political and geopolitical context. Meanwhile, Moldova needs to continue advancing the reforms that will qualify us for EU membership.

On November 8, the European Commission recommended the start of accession negotiations. According to the evaluation report, Moldova has fully implemented six out of nine conditions, and important progress made with respect to three others.

“We have the recommendation of the European Commission to the European Council to start negotiations, this means that on December 15 this recommendation will be discussed by all the heads of state and government of all the EU member states, and a consensus needs to be reached. This is not only about technical aspects measuring the progress of the country, but also about the political context, how the EU leaders believe and feel Moldova has fared. This is also about the wider political and geopolitical context, because this decision will impact not only Moldova, but also Ukraine and Georgia. So, there are things that Moldova needs to do in terms of supporting its positive image from now on. And once the decision is made, hopefully in December, there will be time until March for those three outstanding conditions to be fulfilled”, said Janis Mazeiks during a show on Vocea Basarabiei.

The European diplomat encourages Moldova to fully implement all the conditions, in particular the justice reform, the fight against corruption and the acceleration of the de-oligarchization process.

“This includes moving forward with the vetting process of judiciary and the prosecution,  with the appointment of judges to the Supreme Court of Justice and of the general prosecutor, as well as providing resources for the Anti-Corruption Office, improving its structure, as well as improving the legal framework regarding stolen assets. It must be noted that these appointments need not be made until then, because the report only requires continuing making significant progress. Meaning, Moldova needs to see what can be done by March, bearing in mind that these processes involve other independent institutions, such as the Vetting Commission, which you can’t put pressure on”, the EU ambassador said.

The summit where the European Council is to make a decision on the potential start of EU-Moldova accession talks will take place in Brussels during December 14 and 15.