The European Commission published its analytical reports assessing the capacity of Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia to assume the obligations of EU membership. The reports complement the Opinions on the three countries’ applications for EU membership adopted by the European Commission in June 2022, IPN reports.

In the reports, the Commission evaluated the level of approximation of the EU acquis on the basis of the replies to the questionnaires from the three applicant countries. Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Nicu Popescu said the analytical report on Moldova focuses on the country’s alignment of its laws with the acquis in the 33 acquis chapters.

According to the report, Moldova is at an early stage of preparation in 12 areas, namely public procurement, financial control, freedom of movement for workers, company law, financial services, taxation, social policy and employment, environment and climate change, agriculture and rural development, fisheries, regional policy and coordination of structural instruments, and financial and budgetary provisions.

Moldova has achieved some level of preparation to implement the EU acquis in 17 areas, namely justice, freedom and security, free movement of goods, right of establishment and freedom to provide services, free movement of capital, intellectual property law, competition policy, consumer and health protection, digital transformation and media, economic and monetary policy, enterprise and industrial policy, education and culture, customs union, transport, energy, trans-European networks, and food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary policy.

Moldova has a moderate level of preparedness in science and research, external relations, foreign, security and defense policy.

This report takes stock of the situation in June 2022, when the Commission published its Opinion. The subsequent progress will be covered by the report on the EU enlargement policy that will be published in the autumn of 2023.

“We will adjust our plans on the 33 acquis chapters according to the European Commission’s analytical report published on February 2, 2023. Together with all the mates from the government, we already set a large part of the relevant objectives in the Government’s action plan for this year. Together we started the accession to the European Union, together we will manage to bring Moldova into the EU,” stated Nicu Popescu.