Romania supports Moldova’s EU Accession, President affirms

President Dan also extended an invitation to President Sandu to visit Romania, emphasizing that his own visit is a symbol of Romania’s continued support for Moldova’s EU aspirations

BUCHAREST, Jun 11 (DNA):Romania strongly supports the Republic of Moldova’s European Union (EU) accession, President Nicusor Dan stated during his visit to Chisinau.

He expressed optimism that Moldovan citizens will reaffirm the country’s Europe-bound direction in the upcoming parliamentary elections this fall.

“The most important project for Moldova is joining the EU, and you can count on our full support,” President Dan said during a joint press conference with Moldovan President Maia Sandu.

He added that he is confident the September 28 elections will reflect the Moldovan people’s commitment to maintaining the European path they have followed for years.

President Dan also extended an invitation to President Sandu to visit Romania, emphasizing that his own visit is a symbol of Romania’s continued support for Moldova’s EU aspirations.

“This is my first official visit as Romania’s President, and I am glad it is here, in Chisinau. We share a special, heartfelt relationship, and my presence here guarantees Romania’s ongoing support for Moldova,” he said. “This is a crucial moment for Moldova, marking the beginning of its EU accession process.”

The two leaders discussed areas of further cooperation, including energy, infrastructure, and customs. President Dan stressed the need for more Romanian investment in Moldova and highlighted the dedicated guarantee fund Romania has pledged for the private sector.

Romania’s support extends beyond diplomacy. “We also stand by your reforms, which ensure prosperity, institutional stability, and security for Moldova,” Dan noted.

On security concerns, the Romanian president highlighted the Russian Federation as the region’s greatest threat. He emphasized the need for joint efforts to counter hybrid warfare, especially in light of the ongoing war in Ukraine.

“Our cooperation on hybrid warfare response is critical, and we discussed this during talks,” he added.

Meanwhile, Romania’s Energy Minister, Sebastian Burduja, emphasized the need for better cross-border energy infrastructure to create a truly unified European energy market.

Burduja pointed out the current price differences between EU member states and stressed that the European energy market is only unified on paper.

“Why is the day-ahead electricity spot price 84 euros in Romania, 25 euros in France, and 60 euros in Austria? Because the European energy market is single just on paper,” Burduja wrote on Facebook. He explained that while energy produced in Western Europe, especially in nuclear power plants, is much cheaper, it cannot reach countries like Romania, Bulgaria and Greece due to lack of proper infrastructure.

The minister noted that he has repeatedly called for equal obligations and rights among EU member states in terms of energy interconnectivity. He emphasized that the European energy project, which began with coal and steel unions, should ensure equal access for all members.

Burduja highlighted Romania’s contribution to regional energy integration, saying that the country already shares 4,000 MW of electricity grid interconnections with its neighbors and plans to increase this to over 7,000 MW in the next five years, through transmission system operator Transelectrica.

He also pointed out gaps in other regions, such as the lack of interconnections between Austria and Slovakia, and noted that Austria and Hungary’s interconnection capacity could easily be doubled, but there has been no significant effort to do so.

The minister concluded that energy interconnections and the improvement of the European energy market have become top priorities for the European Commission, with continued efforts to monitor progress.