French President Emmanuel Macron says that the response to Moldova’s request for EU accession to be given during the European Council Summit next week will be clear and will be accompanied by conditions for moving forward. According to him, if the usual procedures were applied for all states that seek candidate status, it would not be granted to anyone; the geopolitical situation, the context of the war, the destabilization create a different approach.
“It is important for some EU members which care about our procedures to give them certain guarantees. And in order to maintain a certain balance, we need to send a clear message to your people. At the same time, we must have conditions that guarantee compliance with the procedures. The answer will be clear, but conditions will be imposed”, said Emmanuel Macron during a joint press conference held with President Maia Sandu in Chisinau.
The French President says he doesn’t believe an intermediate or transitory status will be granted to Moldova instead of the authentic candidate status. “A question is being asked that the European Commission must answer. I don’t want to make assumptions. My role is to speed up this process as president of the Council of the European Union. My wish is to convey a positive message about this candidacy”, said Emmanuel Macron.
According to the French President, in no case will Moldova have to be satisfied only with the status of a member of the European Political Community. This community does not replace the accession process, but is complementary and can shorten the path to membership, having a geopolitical role.
For her part, President Maia Sandu stated that Moldova is a European country, with people who share European values, a country that will undoubtedly have a European future. “For us, joining the European Union is a strategic option to remain part of the free world, especially in the current security context”, said Maia Sandu, who hopes that Moldova’s request will be supported by EU member states at the summit to be held in Brussels during June 23-24. “Mr. President, we count on the continued support of France for the status of candidate country of the Republic of Moldova. In the difficult conditions we are facing, this important step will help us continue the initiated reforms and the consolidation of our democracy”, she declared.
Moldova’s European integration will be a long and complex process, which will require sustained efforts. The Moldovan authorities are aware of this and the president says that “we are not looking for shortcuts in this process”. “We are ready to do our homework - and we want to be judged according to merit, according to the result of our work”, Maia Sandu underlined.
She added that Moldova wants to strengthen the partnership with the European Union in the political and security field. “The Republic of Moldova wants to be a contributor, a part of the solutions to European problems. Not just a consumer of benefits. We want to be a state that contributes to a stronger, more integrated, more influential Europe globally. And we continue to demonstrate this, including through the contribution of our government and society to managing the refugee crisis and the effects of the war. Together, we can contribute to a European Union that must become a true geopolitical actor in the service of peace, human rights, security and stability, and have the necessary tools to face all the challenges”, declared Maia Sandu.
