President Maia Sandu has signed the decree to initiate negotiations on accession to the European Union. Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Cristina Gerasimov was appointed as chief negotiator on behalf of the Republic of Moldova, IPN reports.

Also on Friday, the National Commission for European Integration, chaired by President Maia Sandu, met to discuss the general negotiating position of the Republic of Moldova at the first Moldova-EU Intergovernmental Conference that will take place on June 25 in Luxembourg. The negotiating position is also to be approved by the Cabinet.

“The Republic of Moldova has fulfilled all the recommendations of the European Commission. Thus, two years after obtaining the status of candidate country, the first Moldova-EU Intergovernmental Conference will take place on June 25, which marks the start of accession negotiations. Thousands of people from state institutions are behind these efforts to modernize the country and the work of each of them has a crucial impact on our country objective - to prepare the Republic of Moldova for accession by 2030,” said Maia Sandu.

The head of state also stressed that Moldova – a member of the European Union – is the only way of development through which peace, well-being and a better life for all the Moldovan citizens can be ensured. "At the autumn referendum, the people of the Republic of Moldova will decide whether this is the direction of development of the country and the legacy we leave to the next generations. I thank the Government for the work done and wish success to our delegation that will represent the Republic of Moldova in Luxembourg, at the official launch of the negotiations on accession to the European Union,” noted President Sandu.

The Republic of Moldova applied for EU membership in March 2022 and was granted candidate status in June 2022. In April 2023, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling on the European Commission and the European Council to start accession negotiations with the Republic of Moldova once the nine stages identified by the European Commission are fulfilled. Recently, the ambassadors of the EU member states agreed, in principle, on the negotiating frameworks for the official opening of accession negotiations with the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. On June 25, the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union will convene the first intergovernmental conferences with the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.