Key challenges for Moldova, the coordination of support from the international community, and reforms needed to advance Moldova’s EU integration – those were the main issues discussed at the Ministerial Conference of the Moldova Partnership Platform with participation of Dace Melbārde, Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia. The Ministerial Conference of the Moldova Partnership Platform is being held in Chisinau on 17 September 2024.
Dace Melbārde presented to the audience Latvia’s support to Moldova – both bilateral support and multilateral activities and projects. For example, Latvia continues providing assistance to Moldova through bilateral projects and contributions to international and Moldovan funds, including €50,000 in 2023 to strengthen Moldova’s energy independence. In multilateral formats, Latvia consistently supports the strengthening of Moldova’s resilience by means of EU instruments through the European Peace Facility, the EU Partnership Mission in the country, as well as sanctions against individuals destabilising the political situation in Moldova.
At the conference, Dace Melbārde underlined that the EU was not just a political process and a goal in itself: every candidate country must meet certain requirements and take practical steps to comply with common EU standards and laws.
On 20 October, Moldova will hold a constitutional referendum on the country’s accession to the EU.
- Moldova, like Ukraine, has been a candidate country for EU membership since 2022.
- EU Member States decided to open accession negotiations with both countries at the end of 2023.
- On 25 June 2024, the Intergovernmental Conference in Luxembourg officially opened negotiations on accession to the EU, thereby launching practical work to take over the EU acquis.
On the Moldova Partnership Platform
The Moldova Partnership Platform was established in 2022 at the initiative of Romania, Germany and France to mobilise and coordinate political, technical and financial support by the international community to the Republic of Moldova. The country has been facing significant socio-economic and security challenges since the start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
