EU and Moldova forge deeper ties at historic first Summit in Chisinau
On 4 July, at the first ever EU-Moldova Summit in Chișinău, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Council António Costa and President of the Republic of Moldova Maia Sandu agreed to deepen cooperation between the European Union and the Republic of Moldova. The leaders discussed EU accession and related reforms, economic growth, and security and defence cooperation, including countering hybrid threats.
“Now, Moldova has a historic opportunity to make progress. We look forward to opening all clusters of Moldova’s accession talks, as soon as possible,” President von der Leyen said in her opening speech. “We are here as friends. We cherish your country, your culture, your traditions, and your wonderful cuisine. The Mioriţa, the sarmale, and of course the famous Moldovan wine, the apples, the plums. Everything that makes you proud, makes us proud together.”
In a joint statement together with António Costa, Von der Leyen also said that “the European Union will protect Moldova’s freedom, democracy, identity and security”.
During the Summit, President von der Leyen announced the release of €270 million in pre-financing from the €1.9 billion EU Growth Plan for Moldova, supporting the country’s reforms and bringing its economy closer to the EU Single Market. This disbursement will translate into a new Bălți Regional Hospital, restored district heating in Chișinău, and lower electricity and gas bills for the people of Moldova. Overall, the Growth Plan will support better roads, modernised schools, new hospitals, growth for small businesses and the protection of Moldovan cultural heritage. Also, free WiFi will be installed in public areas across Chișinău.
Von der Leyen also announced that cheaper euro bank transfers will be available as of 5 October 2025 through Moldova’s inclusion in the Single European Payment Area (SEPA), granted in March by Member States.
Finally, von der Leyen proposed to integrate Moldova into the EU Roaming area as of 1 January 2026. The ‘Roam Like at Home’ initiative will allow Moldovan citizens to make calls, send text messages and use mobile data with Moldovan numbers while travelling in any of the 27 EU Member States without incurring roaming fees.
The leaders agreed to step up efforts to counter ongoing hybrid and cyber-attacks by Russia and its proxies aimed at destabilising the country ahead of the September parliamentary election.
The EU reaffirmed its assistance for Moldova’s resilience, including through the EU Partnership Mission in Moldova and supporting Moldova’s Centre of Strategic Communications tasked with detecting and debunking Russian disinformation.
“We are committed to protecting you against the hybrid attacks and energy shocks that your country has been victim of. Who is behind those attacks is clear to all of us here. These are the same agents of autocracy trying to undermine our democracies everywhere in Europe,” Von der Leyen said. “And we will show them the power of democracies. We are connecting Moldova with our EU electricity market, for stable flows. No more blackmail.”
Leaders highlighted the need for clear communication on the benefits of EU integration, and stressed the importance of strengthening anti-corruption efforts and safeguarding the integrity of the upcoming elections.
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