What does the European Commission propose for a European Union prepared for expansion and what does this mean for the Republic of Moldova?

We have become accustomed to hearing about the EU expansion more through the lens of what we as a candidate state have to do. About our journey. About reforms and schedules. About how prepared Moldova is to achieve the national goal of being an EU member by 2030.

On Tuesday, Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos presented the vision of the European Commission, with concrete proposals about what the European Union can do to be prepared for a future expansion.

Is the European Union ready to welcome us? This was a question we often heard in Chisinau, Brussels, and EU capitals. The European Commission today says yes, through some adaptations within the current framework of EU treaties, on four levels: governance, values, policies, and budget.

What is important to highlight, already analyzing the proposals of the European Commission in what directly concerns us, the Republic of Moldova?

Firstly, the Roadmaps. In the expansion package of 2026, which will be published at the end of October, the Commission will propose indicative roadmaps, with priorities and deadlines, for the most advanced states in negotiations: Montenegro, Albania, Moldova, and Ukraine. The only condition is to maintain the pace of reforms. For the first time, the accession timetable will gain more concrete milestones.

Secondly, unlocking the process. The European Commission recommends adopting a qualified majority vote for opening negotiation clusters and for intermediate decisions. A single member state should no longer be able to block an entire process for bilateral reasons. The final decision on accession remains unanimous. But the path to that becomes more predictable. It is an older proposal, but for the first time it appears with details in a document of the European Commission. Such a decision, however, will need a vote of the EU member states in the Council and the European Parliament. We will see the debates in the EU Council and the European Council that will take place in the coming months until the end of the current year.

And, perhaps most tangibly, gradual integration. Moldova is already benefiting from some elements of gradual integration before accession. Moldova is in SEPA. From January 1st, we are in “Roam Like at Home”. The Growth Plan links European funding to real reforms. Europe is no longer just a destination. It becomes a daily experience.

Therefore, the Commission proposes a reform of the enlargement policy that meets the effort of candidate countries who are advancing and deserving. In 2023, Ursula von der Leyen declared that the Union will rise to the determination of the candidates and that, during this Commission’s mandate, the EU must advance towards enlargement. Today’s document transforms that promise into a roadmap.

The European Commission supports, promotes, and comes up with proposals to advance candidate countries on their path to the EU, based on their own merits and clear conditions. The new safeguard clauses, extended monitoring periods, requirements regarding the rule of law, all remain. Nobody spares us from our homework. There will be no shortcuts.

But the logic changes. We no longer wait for a door that might open someday. We build, on both sides, the conditions for it to open on time.

Work and merit. For Moldova, behold, the horizon of 2030 is about to take more shape.