European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Friday, May 8th that while there is no exact date yet for opening formal accession negotiations with Moldova, the EU wants to move quickly on the process. At a joint press conference in Chișinău with Moldovan President Maia Sandu, Kallas announced
We haven’t set that date, but it’s clear that we need to move fast.
Kallas added that political changes in several EU member states could create a “window of opportunity” to advance enlargement talks:
So that’s why I also think that we should move while nobody is against Moldova, because you never know when there comes a government that might have, you know, a bilateral issue.
She also noted that Moldova has made progress on reforms, and said the breakaway region of Transnistria “will not become an obstacle” to its EU path.
In response, President Sandu reaffirmed Moldova’s goal of signing the EU accession treaty by 2028.
Last year, Moldova’s pro-Brussels ruling party secured just over half of the votes in the parliamentary election. Sandu’s Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) won 50.03% of the vote, enough for a majority in the 101-seat parliament.
