BRUSSELS 

The European Union and Moldova held their first-ever joint summit Friday in the capital Chisinau, with EU leaders expressing strong backing for Moldova's accession process and signaling readiness to open all negotiation clusters.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu welcomed Antonio Costa, the European Council president, and Ursula von der Leyen, head of the European Commission, for high-level talks focused on Moldova's EU accession process.

In a joint press conference following the summit, the leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the country’s European integration.

"Moldova's progress on its EU path is remarkable," Costa said, calling the summit a milestone in EU-Moldova relations. "The EU is here to support Moldova every step of the way," he added, highlighting joint efforts to integrate Moldova into the EU single market and boost its economy.

Von der Leyen highlighted Moldova's progress on its EU path and said: "This is why the commission recommended to the council that Moldova is ready to open the fundamentals cluster. And we look forward to opening all clusters of Moldova's accession talks as soon as possible."

She also announced the release of €270 million under the Moldova Growth Plan, as part of a wider €1.9 billion investment package.

Key economic steps were also outlined, including Moldova's full integration into the Single Euro Payments Area by October and the abolition of roaming charges between Moldova and EU countries.

Responding to concerns about potential destabilization efforts from the country’s breakaway Transnistria region, Sandu emphasized that Moldova is working on reintegration and EU integration in parallel.

Moldova, a country of some 2.5 million people bordering Ukraine, applied for EU membership on March 3, 2022, gained candidate status that June, and aims to join the bloc by 2030.