Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilița said the Republic of Moldova has the historical chance to obtain the status of candidate country. All the European leaders were informed that in the current security context, the offering of a clear prospect for joining the EU will be an optimistic signal for the citizens of the Republic of Moldova. The Questionnaire to determine the country’s readiness for European integration will start to be filled out soon, while the justice sector reform and the fight again corruption remain the biggest weaknesses, IPN reports.
Premier Gavrilița said the war in Ukraine accelerated the process of filing the application for EU membership and, given the security crisis in the region, the granting of the status of candidate country will be a clear signal that Moldova is welcomed in the European family.
“We are at a historical moment when we have the chance to obtain the candidate status. We consider this is a historical chance to take an appropriate decision. I talked to all our partners and told them that namely in these difficult times for our region, it is important for our people to have this light at the end of the tunnel and to have a perspective. We want to become a candidate country and to start the negotiations on each chapter apart. We don’t know if the accession process can last as long as a mandate, but we see that what seemed impossible to us several months ago, now takes place at an accelerated pace,” Natalia Gavrilița stated in the program “Black Box” on TV8 channel.
The official said the Republic of Moldova, through the agency of the Questionnaire of the European Commission, must show how ready it is to become a candidate country. Gavrilița reiterated that the justice sector reform and the absence of a solid economy remain Moldova’s weak points.
“It goes to the justice sector reform, fight against corruption, reformation of state institutions, increasing of citizens’ confidence in state institutions, ensuring of free competition on the market, functioning of the economy, securing of investors’ trust. These are those reforms about which we have spoken for years and we must do them primarily for the benefit of the people so as to ensure their wellbeing,” said Natalia Gavrilița.
European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi handed over the Questionnaire of the European Commission on the assessment of Moldova’s readiness to obtain the status of candidate country to Deputy Prime Minister Nicu Popescu, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, on Monday in Luxemburg.
