Although candidate countries for accession “have the obligation to progressively align themselves with the declarations of the European Union and to apply restrictive measures when and where necessary”, the Republic of Moldova did not join the sanctions against the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus. This is shown by the second part of the European Commission’s report from June 2022, which was seen by Europa Liberă and is to be published soon.
Moldova fears that joining the sanctions may lead to a halt in Russian gas supplies, among other economic consequences that the country’s economy wouldn’t be able to cope with. The authorities in Chisinau also insist that they respect the sanctions imposed by the EU following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Moldova is estimated to have an alignment rate of 60-80% to the declarations and restrictive measures of the common foreign and security policy, according to the European Commission. The report notes that the alignment with the restrictive measures of the EU requires more efforts on the part of the Republic of Moldova, while also remarking “a recent improvement in the rate of alignment”.
Daniel Vodă, spokesperson for the Moldovan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, told Europa Liberă that the institution will not make comments on separate chapters as long as the report remains unpublished.
Moldova submitted its application for EU membership in March 2022, and in June its status as a candidate country was confirmed. The European Commission’s report based on the May responses to the questionnaire sent by the Republic of Moldova to the EU will be published this month.
