At a joint press conference following the EU–Moldova summit in Brussels, European leaders reaffirmed their support for the republic’s European integration, but did not specify any concrete timelines for the further progress of the negotiations.
According to Report’s European bureau, Moldovan President Maia Sandu stated that the country is ready to open all negotiation clusters and is counting on the process moving forward swiftly.
For her part, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasised that Brussels had already recommended opening all negotiation clusters.
However, when asked by journalists whether the remaining clusters could be expected to open as early as July, no direct answer was given.
Instead, von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa repeatedly stated that Moldova’s accession would proceed as part of a ‘merit-based process’.
Judging by the statements made at the press conference, the focus was not so much on accelerating European integration as on attempting to allay fears regarding a possible delay in the process.
European leaders made it clear that they regard Moldova as one of the most successful candidates for accession and are prepared to move forward as the necessary criteria are met, but they avoided making any specific commitments regarding timelines.
