With the new promise of future EU membership, French, German and Polish leaders visited Moldova on August 27th of the country of the country. The message from French President Emmanuel Macron, German Prime Minister Friederrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tass to Moldovan Europe President Maia Sandou was simple.
The meeting will take place one month before the parliamentary elections in Moldova scheduled for September 28th.
According to the EU, Moldova’s election campaign and elections take place under the threat of a hybrid Russian attack.
Thus, the French leader and his counterparts tried to signal the voters.
“Kremlin propaganda says that Europeans want to extend the war and the European Union is oppressing its people. These are lies. Unlike Russia, the European Union threatens no one and respects the sovereignty of each member state,” Macron said.
“It’s a coalition of prosperity and peace. The European Union is by no means a Soviet Union.”
Hybrid Wars and Political Hesitancy
Moldova condemned Russian hybrid operations involving vote buying, cyberattacks and disinformation during the campaign’s preparations.
Sandou’s words about the hybrid warfare were explicitly confirmed by German Prime Minister Mertz.
“At the stage for the upcoming parliamentary elections in this country, it’s not a day without a massive hybrid attack from Russia. Moldova’s democracy is in the crosshairs, both online and offline.
Moldova has officially a population of 2.6 million, some of whom hold Romanian passports and passports from other EU countries.
Many voters belong to the Moldovan diaspora scattered across Western Europe and Russia.
The poll predicts the race of the neck and neck until the final vote between pro-European and Russian political forces, socialists and the Communist Party.
Moldova’s dominant EU Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) has been in power since 2021, and there is a risk of losing future elections.
Located between Romania and Ukraine, Moldova is directly affected by the geopolitical turmoil caused by Moscow’s war of aggression against Kiev.
Moscow also controls the eastern Fringe of Moldova (200 km from Odessa, border with Ukraine), which left the country after a small war won by the Pro-Russian army in 1992.
Moldova has claimed sovereignty over the land on the eastern bank of the River Donister, fully supported by Western countries.
Is the EU expansion key to Moldova’s security?
Emmanuel Macron provided Moldova’s strong support for membership in the European Union. The French head of state spoke about the “historical opportunity” in Chisinau.
Joining negotiations began last June. However, Moldova’s candidacy is closely linked to Ukraine’s candidacy.
Pro-eu Moldovan leaders have repeatedly called for a decoupling of the EU-envelopment process between Moldova and Ukraine, fearing that Kiev’s European outlook will take much longer given the size of Ukraine and the war with Russia.
However, the EU is reluctant to grant the first track accession process for Chi-in, fearing it would send a negative signal to Ukraine.
Romanian MEP Sheikfried Mulléan, who is the head of the EU-Moldova Parliamentary Association Committee, is one of the most vocal advocates in Brussels, who spoke to the Euroneuz last July.
“Integrating the Republic of Moldova into the EU is a lesser effort. Integrating small countries is easier than integration of large countries.”
“Moldova is a small country and with our support we can achieve a lot in an amount that is not important to the EU, but it’s transformative for Moldova,” he said.
The EU is ready to invest nearly 2 billion euros to boost Moldova’s economy and reduce its vulnerability to external pressures.
Moldova’s energy infrastructure has changed significantly since 2022. Currently connected to the European power grid, the EU is funding major upgrades to the domestic distribution system.
Chisa also promises to generate 27% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030.
Despite the set-off, including slowdowns caused by the war-induced energy shock in Ukraine, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) believes Moldova’s economy is resilient.
In the Landmark Shift, over 50% of Moldovan exports were awarded to the EU in 2024.