Prime Minister Dorin Recean said that the Moldovan authorities hope to start the EU accession negotiations at the end of June. A statement to this effect was made at a press conference held after the eighth meeting of the EU-Republic of Moldova Association Council, which was held today in Brussels.
“We aim to be ready by the end of June. At the same time, both the Commission and the Member States need to prepare. In other words, there is no date, but there is an objective,” Premier Recean said when asked about the date of June 25, which is circulated by the press.
For his part, European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi, said that there is at least one more topic that needs to be addressed and that hasn’t been yet resolved. The official referred to the justice sector reform, including the appointment of the prosecutor general, “for the justice system to be independent, impartial, professional, accountable and especially reliable.”
“We received assurances from the government that what needs to be done will be done. Now, whether it will be done before June 25 or not, I don’t think I can answer that question. The Commission made all the proposals for the Council to take that decision and convene the first intergovernmental conference – the first formal stage of negotiations. It remains to be seen whether the Council will be ready before that date and whether we can convene this intergovernmental conference. Of course, it would be easier to achieve the goal if all the tasks were accomplished,” sated Olivér Várhelyi.
The eighth meeting of the EU-Republic of Moldova Association Council took place on Tuesday in Brussels. It centered on the evolution of relations with the EU in terms of implementation of the Association Agreement and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement and also the progress made in preparing for the opening of accession negotiations. Also, the Moldova-EU Security and Defense Partnership and the Agreement on Moldova’s participation in the Employment and Social Innovation program were signed.
