With EU decision to start membership talks with Moldova, everyone wins: President Sandu

BELGRADE, Serbia

With the decision by European Union leaders to start official membership negotiations with Moldova, everybody wins, said the country’s president on Friday.

"Today's decision to open negotiations for the accession of the Republic of Moldova to the European Union is a victory for all of us. The European Union said ‘yes’ to our country, it said ‘yes’ to our European future. It is a new page in our history," said Maia Sandu in a written statement.

Sandu urged all institutions, all development partners, and all Moldovan entrepreneurs to talk about European integration, to promote the European path to transform all of Moldova into a European state.

"Let's enjoy together a historic step for the destiny of our country. We managed to gain the trust of the European Union, we preserved the unity and we all worked very hard for Moldova to win the chance of a better future for all citizens," said Sandu.

According to Sandu, two years ago, no one could have imagined that in 2023 the European Commission would propose the opening of accession negotiations with Moldova.

"Today's success is the merit of the entire society – of all those who choose democracy and prosperity, who work with perseverance and patience, who went out to vote, protested for freedom, and never stopped believing that Moldova deserves more. We are European and the entire EU recognizes this," said Sandu.

Ukraine and neighboring Moldova submitted their membership bids after Russia launched its war on Ukraine in February 2022. After the war began, nearly a million Ukrainian refugees flooded Moldova, and some 100,000 still remain, according to UN figures.

The two countries were granted EU candidate status in June 2022.

European Union leaders decided to start accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova at the EU leaders' summit in Brussels on Thursday.