Accession Conference with Moldova - International ministerial meetings
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Council of the European Union European Council
Follow its sittingsCristina Gherasimov
For an entrepreneur, they mean simpler procedures, predictable rules, and access to more customers. A business that grows can employ more people, invest in their skills, and offer better wages. Together, these changes can give people stronger reasons to stay, return, and invest in Moldova. We want those opportunities to reach communities throughout our country. The success of European integration will also be measured by the prospects it creates beyond the capital.
As we prepare for membership, we are strengthening what Moldova can contribute to the European Union. We bring talented people, entrepreneurial energy, and a dynamic digital sector. Our manufacturers can contribute to European production networks, our researchers and young professionals can bring fresh ideas to joint projects in technology, agriculture, or energy. We also bring experience in building resilience under sustained pressure and a firm commitment to European cooperation. Closer integration allows us to combine these strengths for mutual benefit.
A Moldovan producer gains access to more customers, a European company gains new partners and opportunities to invest.
Together they can create jobs and build more diverse and resilient European supply chains. The growth plan will help turn these opportunities into results by connecting reforms with investment, supporting enterprises, and improving infrastructure. Better connections with Moldova can facilitate trade and strengthen the wider European economy. Our responsibility is to ensure that this partnership delivers more productive businesses, better public services, and lasting improvements in people's lives. Dear friends, opening these clusters gives greater momentum to the work ahead.
Our immediate objective is to open the remaining two clusters while advancing towards fulfillment of the interim benchmarks and meeting the closing benchmarks in chapters where we are making substantial progress. The most demanding work, of course, still lies ahead. We are ready to do it. Laws must be supported by capable institutions and consistent enforcement. Businesses need predictability, citizens need to see results.
For Moldova, this journey is also about peace and security. Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine has made the importance of anchoring our future in the European Union even clearer. A resilient Moldova with strong democratic institutions and deeper European connections contributes to stability across our region.
Our objective is to be ready for EU membership by 2030. We would like this ambition to become a shared objective with a clear understanding of what needs to be delivered on both sides. We will continue to advance reforms with determination. We look to our European partners to assess our progress on own merits and take decisions in a timely manner. Today's decision gives our citizens a further reason to have confidence in this journey.
Their European choice is becoming concrete progress. We leave Luxembourg with gratitude and renewed determination to deliver the next steps. Thank you.
Marta Kos
Dear Deputy Prime Minister Gherasimov, dear Minister Thomas Byrne, Moldova's strong determination to join the European Union is backed by concrete progress on reforms, and today we are recognizing that progress. Thanks to Moldova's hard work and the support of our member states, we are opening two more negotiating clusters: internal market and competitiveness and inclusive growth. Reforms under these clusters will help Moldova build a stronger economy, attract more investment, and create better jobs.
They will make it easier for Moldovan businesses to trade with the EU, grow, and hire more people. They will also mean better education, stronger workers' rights, and safer products for consumers. These are reforms that will help Moldovans earn a better living and build a better future at home. Opening two more clusters is great news, but of course we will not stop here. The two remaining negotiating clusters are technically ready; we should now proceed with their opening.
And I encourage Moldova to keep up the pace of reforms that has brought us this far. Because this hard work is already paying off. Just last week, at our tenth Association Council, we released another 157 million under the Growth Plan, our largest single payment to Moldova so far, in euro. Further reforms can bring even more EU funding and move Moldova closer to the EU at the end of the year, altogether 500 million possibly. And Moldova's progress is also part of the strongest year-to-year progress on enlargement since 2002.
Four accession conferences together are becoming something of a routine, Thomas, in our enlargement, but...
That's how we roll.
...and this is already the third time this year. Our four frontrunners continue to deliver, and in turn, we are getting ready to welcome new members. Last week, we presented our assessment of how enlargement will affect the EU and what we need to do to prepare. Our message was that we can make a larger Union work, and we are taking the steps needed to make it happen. We will continue to support Moldova on its path to full EU membership, and I'm confident Moldova will keep showing the same determination that has brought us this far.
And tomorrow, I will be very happy when I will change 17 red magnets on my enlargement wall into yellow magnets. I will be even happier coming to Chișinău on 9th and 10th of November, looking forward to it.
Speaker 2
Thank you, Commissioner. Okay, I'll now open it for questions, and I see a question from Cătălin, please.
Cătălin Volconovici
Cătălin Volconovici from Nord News Media, Republic of Moldova.
You have repeatedly said that Moldova can open all the negotiating clusters by the end of this year. What makes you that confident that there will not be future delays in it? And do you have some political assurances from the member states?
Marta Kos
I'm building on the dynamics among the member states. When we were at the beginning of this year, the world of the enlargement looked different. But look at us where we are today. So four clusters are open, two more to come. Both Moldova and Ukraine are ready.
So of course I can't give you 100% the assurance, but if I see how the member states are helping and moving forward, and if I see how agile and energetic the Irish presidency is, that I'm confident that we will be successful and open all the clusters until the end of the year. Then I pay you a drink.
Thomas Byrne
So we have, again I agree with Martha, that at the start of this year we would love to have been in this position, but we didn't dare imagine it at the time. And we are now in this position where we've opened the majority of clusters.
So I know that my team already are having considerations about how we move this process forward. It's not all about the political decisions of the member states, actually, in some cases it can be technical processes within the member states that can't keep pace with the pace that we're trying to set. And we have to be conscious of that as well, that there are sometimes procedures that have to take place in national parliaments or in governments or whatever. And sometimes we've seen that as a problem maybe we didn't anticipate. But all I can say is that my officials are working very closely with the member states.
We're in, we are in the hands of the member states, but they have, they've accepted Moldova as a candidate, they've moved on the process, and I've no doubt that that will continue.
Maxim Orohan
Maxim Orohan, IPN Press Agency, Moldova. My first question is for Mrs. Kos. When will Moldovan businesses gain access to the European Union single market, before or only after Moldova's accession? Is there a risk that smaller businesses may struggle to compete with international companies and eventually be forced out of the market?
And my second question is for Mrs. Gherasimov. In terms of competitiveness, what mechanism will the Moldovan government put in place to support the development of small and medium-sized enterprises and help them adapt to the requirements of European Union accession? Thanks.
Marta Kos
Regarding getting the benefits of the common market before becoming a member of the EU, Moldova has already done some steps. Moldova is already a part of SEPA payment system, it's already part of roaming, but it would be possible, we hope, much more. Why? Last year, when last week when we have introduced the pre-accession review, we suggested that we introduce new ways of handling, we call it gradual integration, meaning we call it enhanced gradual integration.
We suggest the European Commission that we go away from the logic all or nothing, meaning that you can only become a member while once you really fulfill the requirements. This will stay, but when I say enhanced gradual integration, it will mean if you fulfill the criteria to be part of one system, policy or subsystem, everything you fulfill, you will be it will be possible to be part of this subsystem. We are now working on this enhanced gradual integration and we will introduce more of this when we'll introduce the enlargement package, which will happen on 4th of November. So this will be a big move forward where we will also take into the consideration what actually is beneficial to our member states. So looking for the partnerships in different areas, be it energy, raw materials or any other security or any other areas which will be beneficial for for us and for Moldova.
Cristina Gherasimov
Regarding the competitiveness question, I'd like to start by saying that the Moldovan SMEs are already very competitive on the European market. I'd like to remind everyone that 67% of our exports are going to the EU market and that is mostly due to already a type of gradual integration and that is the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement that we have signed with the EU more than 10 years ago.
That has led our businesses to gradually align to the economic standards and the acquis of the European Union. We will continue supporting the SMEs to further build on their competitiveness via different state aid schemes or instruments like ODA that already help significantly our small and medium enterprises.
Thomas Byrne
Can I just add that notwithstanding all of this and all of the possibilities for partial approaches, at the end of the day, the Irish presidency is working through a methodology to have the Republic of Moldova as a full member state of the European Union with all of the benefits, all of the responsibilities, and all of the benefits for the rest of us as well.
Chris
OK, so two short ones for me. So, Minister Gherasimov, I was wondering what's the reaction of Moldova to the, to this gradual integration plan? Is it something you view positively? Are there any things about it in particular that you, you have an eye on either as good or things you're worried about? And for Minister Byrne and especially for Commissioner Várhelyi, the Minister mentioned the objective is to be ready by 2030 and that we'd like this ambition to become a shared objective.
For you guys, do you think this can become a shared objective and do you think it can even become a shared objective that's written in a roadmap for Moldova in about a month from now?
Cristina Gherasimov
On gradual integration, we are already working with the Commission on various ways of integrating into EU programs, spaces and initiatives for quite some time, be it the DCFTA that I have mentioned or the visa-free regime which has changed really the lives of our citizens, or the more recent programs such as the Single European Payments Area that Moldova is now a part of, or the Roam Like at Home program.
We have expressed interest in additional programs that we would like to be part of as part of our negotiating positions. We are currently conducting consultations with civil society, with the private sector to better understand additional requests that might come from our experts. And we will formulate these kind requests to the Commission in the weeks to come. But generally, we very much welcome the fact that gradual integration opportunities are allowing us to be better prepared and better integrated as we come closer to EU membership rather than replacing EU membership. Thank you.
Thomas Byrne
The roadmap will be a matter for the Commission, but in principle, applicant accession candidates should come to the Council and the Commission with progress. And ideally, the Council and the Commission would respond to that progress as and when it happens. That's certainly our objective under the Irish presidency to make sure that that happens. And I don't think it's fair to anyone to give a deadline except to say that Moldova is doing the work and is delivering on what it needs to do. And then it's up to us in turn to deliver for Moldova.
Marta Kos
Indeed, Moldova is delivering. And the main criteria if Moldova will be able to become a member of the EU by 2030 is how these deliverables will be in the future.
Until now, it's really working excellent. So we are supporting the vision of Moldova to become a member by 2030. If we do the retro-planning, and I know that Cristina is very good at this, this would mean that technically it would be, technically it would be possible to finish the negotiations first or second quarter of 2028. Once again, from the technical part of negotiations which I'm responsible for, but of course we have to consider the capacities of the member states, and they really have a lot to do because we are delivering a lot, and of course also we have to take into the consideration the dynamics in the member states.
Speaker 2
Okay, I don't see any other hands up in the room or online, so we'll leave it there. Thank you very much everyone.
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