The negotiations on the accession to the European Union could start this year, said Deputy Speaker of Parliament Mihai Popșoi. According to him, the meeting of the EU-Moldova Association Council is a good occasion for the European partners to assess the state of affairs in the Republic of Moldova and for setting new priorities. For his part, Deputy Premier Nicu Popescu said the launch of the accession negotiations is a priority for the Moldovan government, but this depends on the speed at which the Republic of Moldova manages to implement the reforms agreed with the EU, IPN reports.

The seventh meeting of the EU-Moldova Association Council is held in Brussels on Tuesday, February 7. For the first time, the Republic of Moldova attends the event as an EU candidate state.

“The Association Council is an extremely important event in which the Republic of Moldova as a candidate state and the European Union discuss the accomplishments and the shortcomings. We want our accomplishments last year and the plans we have for 2023 to be assessed by our European partners in the best way possible so that the accession negotiations start this year,” Mihai Popșoi stated in the program “In Depth” on ProTV Chisinau channel.

“It is possible for the negotiations to be opened by the end of this year given that the list of conditions that the Republic of Moldova must fulfill is not so long. But we must gradually get used to the idea that this relationship during the next few years will become less spectacular and the process will become a working one. There will be fewer occasions for presenting extraordinary accomplishments, but there will be many bureaucratic aspects. This will be the new regime of interaction and this is something normal,” said Watchdog expert Valeriu Pașa.

Calling from Brussels, Deputy Prime Minister Nicu Popescu said in the program that the accession negotiations will start when Moldova implements the required reforms and manages to persuade the member states that it deserves to be part of the EU.

“The Association Council discusses the achieved results and the steps that can be taken together with the European Union in such areas as energy, agriculture, transport, trade. The decisions concerning the accession to the European Union or the opening of negotiations depend on our capacity to do the required reforms, and it is necessary for each EU member state to be sure of this and to support the opening of negotiations,” stated the official.

The seventh meeting of the EU-Moldova Association Council is chaired by Prime Minister Natalia Gavriliţa and the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, Vice-President of the European Commission.