French President Emmanuel Macron has said he wants the European Union to swiftly announce its position on Moldova’s EU bid, Reuters reported.
Macron made the statement during a meeting with Moldovan President Maya Sandu in Paris.
“I want to be able to give a clear answer in the coming weeks to Moldova, which deserves this, given the geopolitical situation, the security situation, and the humanitarian situation,” Macron was quoted as saying by AFP.
The French president also said that the risk of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia spreading to other neighboring countries should not be ruled out. Concerns are growing that Moldova could be embroiled in the conflict in Ukraine after pro-Russian separatists in Moldova’s Transnistria region blamed Kyiv for shootings, explosions, and drones entering the border.
Last week, Moldovan Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu told Reuters that internal elements in the pro-Russian separatist region were trying to destabilize it and create tensions as the country struggled to join the EU, Reuters reported.
“Ukraine’s unacceptable aggression by Russia poses a threat to the stability of the entire region, and Moldova in particular, because recent incidents in Transnistria show that the spread of the conflict cannot be ruled out,” Macron was quoted as saying by AFP press “.
The European Political Community
He told the media during a meeting with Sandu Macron that his proposed European political community was an adjunct to the EU accession process, AFP reported. He added that the new format aims to create a new structural framework for cooperation, bringing together all European democracies that support the basis of European values and have aspirations or not to join the European Union.
“This community is not an alternative to the accession process, but a compliment that, regardless of the accession process, allows for a stronger structuring of political, energy, and investment relations with more countries that want it,” he said.
Macron presented the project on May 9 in a speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg. He explained that it would take decades for Ukraine to join the EU, and suggested that while it waits, it could become part of a European political community that could include Britain, which left the EU two years ago, as well as Moldova.
The project is due to be debated at the European summit in late June but has been criticized by some leaders, such as Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, who said it reflected a lack of desire for Ukraine’s rapid integration into the EU.
Today, Moldovan President Sandu welcomed Macron’s initiative for a European political community, which she said would allow Moldova to accelerate its country’s EU membership, AFP reported. She reminded me that Moldova is a country with European history and a clear European future. Sandu stressed Chisinau’s determination to join the EU.
“We understand that joining the EU is a long and complex process that requires a lot of effort and a lot of work. We are not trying to shorten this path. We are ready to make efforts, to work,” she said.
Moldova submitted its EU bid on March 3rd, along with Georgia. Earlier, on February 28, Ukraine submitted its candidacy.
