Moldovan President Urges EU Member States to Grant the Country EU Membership

During her speech at the European Parliament, President Sandu called on the EU countries to support Moldova towards reaching its European aspirations, as the country has formally applied for EU membership in March of 2022, AtoZSerwisPlus.com reports.

“We are aware that political decisions at the EU level have to be made. We are also aware that these are not easy decisions. But granting Moldova candidate status is the right decision. We belong in the European Union”, she said.

She also pointed out how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has affected Moldova, which is a neighbouring country to the war zone.

As President Sandu said, the population in Moldova increased by four per cent within two weeks, as almost half a million Ukrainians crossed the border, with some 90,000 of those remaining in Moldova. She further notes that half of the newcomers are children, which takes the total number of children in Moldova to ten per cent.

In her address to MEPs in Brussels, the Moldovan President condemned Russia’s aggression and expressed her support for the Ukrainians.

“We support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine as we always did. Crimea is Ukraine. Donbas is Ukraine. Kyiv is Ukraine. And they will always be,” she said.

Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine submitted their applications to become EU members, despite the ongoing war. In response to that, during a meeting of COREPER, which represents each Member States’ permanent members, the EU agreed to examine these applications.

On February 28, which was the fourth day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced through his official social media that he had signed the application for EU membership.

However, the decision to review these applications has been critisised, as some called for the expedition of the procedures.

“The process is long and complex, and the final step requires the approval of all 27 member states. What are they waiting for until Russia attacks another country? The decision should be made immediately, it’s about the lives of millions of people and the continued existence of Europe,” a Twitter said following the statement of the French Presidency of the Council of the EU.

At present, Albania, Northern Macedonia, Montenegro, Turkey and Serbia are candidate countries to enter the European Union, while Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina are potential candidates.