The EU-Moldova Parliamentary Association Committee addressed Moldova’s EU integration and the justice reform, as well as the country’s geopolitical situation. The meeting concluded on the unanimous adoption of a statement and recommendations calling on the EU institutions to start accession negotiations, by the end of 2023, and upon completion of the Commission’s nine recommendations, IPN reports.

The document notes that Moldova’s membership of the European Union represents a geostrategic investment in a united and strong Europe and that it equates to showing leadership, resolve and vision.

The Council praises Moldova’s considerable efforts to commit to its reform agenda and its determination to fulfill the nine steps identified in the Commission’s Opinion in order to advance towards future EU membership, despite the successive crises triggered by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.

The signatories reiterated that progress in justice reform and in the fight against corruption are constitutive of the nine recommendations set out in the Commission’s Opinion and will be of paramount importance in the Commission’s assessment due to be published in October 2023. They commended the decisive steps taken by the government to improve the functioning of the judiciary, including the progress achieved in the pre-vetting procedure for new members of the Superior Council of the Magistracy and the Superior Council of Prosecutors.

The statement calls on the European Commission to accelerate Moldova’s EU integration by incorporating the country into EU instruments, agencies and programs.

The Thirteenth meeting of the EU-Moldova Parliamentary Association Committee (PAC) was held in Brussels on March 23. It was co-chaired by Mihail Popşoi, on behalf of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, and by Siegfried Mureșan, on behalf of the European Parliament.