Moldova has taken steps that nobody thought possible two years ago, and the negotiations for accession to the European Union could officially start in June, said Romanian ME, Siegfried Mureșan, according to whom there is will in this regard both in Chisinau and Brussels. The European official noted that Hungary takes over the presidency of the Council of the EU on July 1, and Moldova does the right thing by maintaining a diplomatic dialogue with the Government in Budapest, IPN reports.

The MEP said that there are chances for Moldova to officially start the accession negotiations with the European Union in June. Whether or not this will happen in June, the important thing is that the process has been launched.

“My position is that these negotiations must start in June, that the Republic of Moldova fulfills all the conditions for this to happen. But more important than the moment when the negotiations begin is the process we launched. It should be emphasized that in the last two years, the Republic of Moldova has managed, through its partnership with the European Union, to take steps that nobody thought possible two years ago. In two years, the Republic of Moldova applied for accession, received the candidate status and then a unanimous decision was taken to open the accession negotiations. This decision is an irreversible one. Now we clearly know that negotiations will start and the Republic of Moldova will become a member state of the European Union. The most important thing is that this process has begun,” Siegfried Mureșan stated in the talk show “At 360 degrees” on Radio Moldova.

The European official noted that there are no risks that Hungary will hinder the start of the accession negotiations between Moldova and the European Union. The opinion was stated in the context in which Hungary takes over the presidency of the Council of the EU on July 1, 2024.

“Hungary has been a state with specific positions regarding the war in Ukraine, but Hungary has never opposed the process of European integration in the Republic of Moldova. The authorities of the Republic of Moldova do it very well when they maintain a diplomatic dialogue with the Government in Budapest. This dialogue is good, necessary, correct. There is will in Chisinau, in Brussels, among the citizens of the Republic of Moldova to integrate. My position is that the negotiations should start in June and I’m optimistic about that. In any case, the made progress is remarkable. The speed is good. Technical work is done now. It is a process of screening, assessing the legislation of the Republic of Moldova. It is preparation for the accession negotiations. There is still a need for a decision that I believe will be taken in June, which will represent the mandate to start the negotiations,” said the Romanian MEP.

The Republic of Moldova applied to join the European Union in March 2022 and was granted the candidate status in June 2022. In December 2023, the EU leaders decided to open accession negotiations.