The European Union should offer a preliminary European accession status to the Republic of Moldova in the immediate future. This is requested by the amendments to the draft report of the European Parliament on the implementation of the Association Agreement with the European Union. By this status that is similar to that of Norway, the Republic of Moldova will become a member of the common European market as a preliminary stage in the process of joining the EU, said Romanian MEP Siegfried Mureșan, chairman of the European Parliament’s Delegation for relations with the Republic of Moldova, IPN reports, quoting a press release.
The amendments were signed by Siegfried Mureșan together with the chair of the European Parliament’s Delegation to the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly Andrius Kubilius and deputy chair of the European Parliament’s Delegation to the Euronest Andrzej Halicki. “There is now a pro-European political majority in Chisinau, which showed that it wants and can accelerate the reforms stipulated in the Association Agreement with the European Union,” said Siegfried Mureșan, noting that by this report the European Parliament should clearly show that it notices these efforts and is ready to further help the Republic of Moldova in its wish to implement the reforms needed for coming closer to the European Union.
The MEP asked for broader cooperation between the EU member states and the Republic of Moldova in the investigation of the bank fraud so that the money stolen from Moldovan banks could be recovered swifter. He also asked the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union to adopt, without delay, the new €150 million macro-financial assistance proposed by the European Commission for the Republic of Moldova at the beginning of this year. Under the proposed amendment, the European Commission must provide the Republic of Moldova with sufficient technical support for the country to be able to appropriately implement the reforms needed for obtaining the financial support.
”We also want to encourage the other European institutions and the member states to increase the support for the Republic of Moldova and its citizens,” Siegfried Mureșan said after submitting the amendments.
To be adopted, the draft report on the implementation of the Association Agreement between the Republic of Moldova and the European Union, together with the amendments proposed by the MEPs, should be first approved by the Committee on Foreign Affairs and then in the plenary session of the European Parliament.
