Sandu expects Moldova to join the EU by 2030

Moldova can join the European Union together with Pridnestrovie by 2030, said the President of the Republic Maia Sandu in interview Bloomberg.

According to her, accession to the EU and settlement of relations between Moldova and Transnistria is possible with economic reforms and the fight against corruption.

“The sooner we raise the standard of living, the sooner we will have a chance for reunification. This is our goal – 100%,” Sandu said.

Reforms needed for EU accession have been hampered by high inflation and electricity shortages, the president added.

Sandu also said that European integration is especially important for Moldova against the backdrop of Russia’s attempts to “destabilize Moldova.” Moscow, according to her, will remain a “source of instability” for Chisinau for many years to come.

Moldova officially received the status of a candidate for EU accession last year. On May 19, Sandu assuredthat the republic will fulfill all the conditions for joining the European Union by mid-2023. She clarified that the country will be ready to fulfill them by the time when questions about starting negotiations with Moldova and Ukraine on joining the EU appear on the agenda of the Council of Europe.

In early February, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during a speech at the European Council, said that intelligence had intercepted the “Russian plan” to “destroy the democratic order” in Moldova and he handed over these documents to the Moldovan leader Maia Sandu. The Kremlin then replied that they knew nothing about such a plan.

On February 13, Sandu said that the country’s departments had confirmed the information provided by Ukraine about Russia’s plans to destabilize the situation in the country. The Russian Foreign Ministry called these statements unsubstantiated, saying that Russia does not interfere in the internal affairs of Moldova and other countries of the world and does not pose a threat to Chisinau.

On April 27, Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean said that a rather “long list” of high-ranking Russian leaders, including President Vladimir Putin, was banned from entering the country and that the republic would be fined for wearing a St. George ribbon on May 9 Victory Day. According to Vedomosti experts, the Moldovan authorities continue to move away from the CIS.