Most probably, the accession negotiations with the European Union will start for Moldova and Ukraine simultaneously, said ex-Romanian minister Răzvan Cotovelea who is in Chisinau on a visit as part of the professional training program on European affairs intended for Moldovan functionaries. According to him, Moldova can have the accession negotiations opened this winter or next spring and Romania will stand by the Moldovan authorities in the accession process, IPN reports.
The former communications minister of Romania noted that Moldova now has an extraordinary chance to make its European path irreversible. Moldova enjoys unprecedented openness on the part of European chancelleries and should profit from the favorable context to have the accession negotiations opened.
“I believe the opportunity enjoyed now by the Republic of Moldova is the greatest. It also enjoys the biggest support on the part of the European leaders and, as I think, also the best possible relationship with the brother state Romania. The fact that we are in the European Union and that we already have an important number of European parliamentarians makes us to support the European process and course of the Republic of Moldova with all forces and efforts. There were the questionnaires. There is the technical assessment. Things stand very well from this perspective and I think that this winter or next spring at the latest a decision on the opening of the negotiations will be taken. The member states are in favor of opening the negotiations in a package, for the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. Romania, for example, was in a package with another candidate state,” Răzvan Cotovelea stated in the program “Reflection Points” on Vocea Basarabiei station.
According to him, the official Bucharest remains the most important advocate of the Republic of Moldova in Brussels and Romania’s experience can be successfully used by the Moldovan authorities so that the country is prepared for accession by 2030.
“It goes to the European legislation, the Community acquis. The package is in the Romanian language. It was translated and published in the Official Gazette in Bucharest and should only be downloaded. We needed two years to translate it and to examine the European legislation. The second point: you have the experience of Bucharest, all the position documents, our experience, the negotiation scenario. Nothing is kept secret. The two governments work in an exceptional way. The two ministries of foreign affairs are permanently in contact. Our entire experience can be used,” said Răzvan Cotovelea.
The Romanian ex-minister came to Chisinau together with other mates from Bucharest to train officials, members of the diplomatic corps and public functionaries of the Republic of Moldova. The professional training program on European affairs was organized by the Romanian Diplomatic Institute in concert with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the International Development Cooperation Agency
