Brussels, 5 June 2025
On 4 June in Brussels, the European Union and the Republic of Moldova (hereinafter “Moldova”) held their 9th Association Council Meeting today in Brussels. The meeting was chaired by the Prime Minister of Moldova, Mr. Dorin Recean. The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Ms. Kaja Kallas, led the EU delegation, which also included Commissioner for Enlargement Ms. Marta Kos.
During the meeting, the EU reiterated its unwavering support for Moldova’s EU accession process, commending the country’s determination to reform amidst significant challenges. The Association Council took note of Moldova’s progress in aligning with the EU acquis, particularly in critical domains such as the rule of law, justice reform, and the fight against corruption. It looked forward to the next steps in Moldova’s accession process by opening negotiations on clusters, starting with the fundamental cluster as soon as possible.
The participants recalled that the Moldova Growth Plan, worth EUR 1.9 billion over three years, is a transformative instrument for economic resilience and convergence with the EU. It will ensure that the tangible benefits of European integration are felt by all Moldovan citizens. The participants emphasised the importance of further deepening sectoral cooperation and Moldova’s gradual integration into the EU internal market. In this context, the Association Council welcomed the decision to include Moldova in the geographical scope of the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) to facilitate payments. The parties also agreed to set up a Joint Consultative Committee with the Committee of the Regions and a new Public Administration Reform Subcommittee.
The EU welcomed the historic choice of the people of Moldova to anchor their future within the EU, following the 2024 constitutional referendum, and highlighted the importance of continuing to strategically communicate the benefits and obligations of the accession process and EU membership to the people of Moldova. The EU commended the authorities’ commitment to upholding the democratic process despite large-scale interference and a hybrid campaign by Russia and its proxies. Ahead of the 2025 parliamentary elections, the participants highlighted the importance of strengthening the resilience of the electoral process against malign interference in line with international standards and best practices.
The participants marked the first anniversary of the EU-Moldova Security and Defence Partnership, signed in the margins of the 8th Association Council last year, as a testament to the growing cooperation in these areas. As a sign of the EU’s continued commitment to strengthening Moldova’s resilience against hybrid threats, the EU extended the mandate of the European Union Partnership Mission in Moldova (EUPM) for two years, until May 2027. In support of modernising Moldova’s defence sector and as an investment in peace and stability, the EU also recalled that Moldova is the second-largest beneficiary of the European Peace Facility, with support measures amounting to EUR 197 million for the period 2021–2025.
Finally, amidst a profoundly challenging regional security context, shaped by Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine, the EU reiterated its resolute support for Moldova’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Association Council condemned Russia’s weaponisation of energy supplies and recalled that the EU stands in solidarity with Moldova and has stepped up its support to help Moldova successfully tackle these challenges.
The 9th EU–Moldova Association Council Meeting concluded with a clear message: the future of Moldova and its people lies within the EU.
Source: EU Council: Visit the meeting page
Moldova: Remarks by High Representative Kaja Kallas at the joint press conference following the Association Council meeting
Brussels, 4 June 2025
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Dear Prime Minister, dear Dorin,
It is really a pleasure to welcome you here in Brussels. We just concluded a good meeting of the EU-Moldova Association Council.
The European Union and Moldova are very close partners. You are the first to sign a security and defence partnership with the EU.
We have provided to you nearly €200 million in vital defence aid to support Moldova to modernise its armed forces. And through the EU Growth Plan, we committed €1.9 billion to support your infrastructure and connectivity, among other priorities.
These investments will help to transform Moldova’s economy and benefit every citizen – but this partnership benefits us both. Moldova actively contributes to EU missions in Somalia and Bosnia Herzegovina, and you host more Ukrainian refugees per capita than any other country. This is a powerful testament to your European solidarity.
Today, we discussed Russia’s war against Ukraine, which has repeatedly spilt over into Moldova as well. Russia has violated Moldovan airspace, used energy as a tool to blackmail you, and meddled with your democracy. Moldova’s upcoming parliamentary elections will be a prime target of Moscow’s hybrid war. Russia is likely to use a web of cash, content and coercion to try to tilt the vote. The Moldovan people have the right to choose their own future free from interference.
That is why we are extending the scope and scale of the EU’s Partnership Mission to boost Moldova’s resilience. We have a specialist team on the ground now supporting Moldova address illicit financing around the elections. And we recently deployed a group of experts, a Hybrid Rapid Response Team to support Moldova against foreign interference. You can rely on the EU’s support to ensure the integrity of your elections.
We also discussed Moldova’s EU accession. Moldova has made good progress in a path towards the EU. During my recent vision visit to Chisinau, we spoke about Moldova’s impressive progress in tackling corruption, advancing justice reforms and upholding democratic values. And we discussed today how to take this even further. Sustained reforms now will remain essential to keep the momentum up, and the path is very clear: Moldova belongs to Europe.
Looking ahead, we have the first ever EU-Moldova Summit coming up exactly a month from now, and this Summit will drive the progress across many sectors, from energy to digital and education.
In concrete terms, we are looking to speed up Moldova’s access to EU payment systems, enhance mobile phone services and begin major infrastructure progress. This progress will also improve the lives of all Moldovan citizens.
Prime Minister, thank you again for being here. Time and again, Moldova has shown its dedication to the EU path, and we heard this also today.
Europe will stand with Moldova every step of the way.
Thank you for being here.
Link to the video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-272916
Q&A.
You recently returned from Philippines and Singapore, where you said you aim to strengthen the EU-Asia dialogue. What does this mean for Europe security? I am asking this because Europe’s security is also Moldova’s security and Ukraine’s too. And more important, the SAFE Program was recently approved. Moldova’s Defence Minister mentioned it before, that Moldova could join this initiative. Now that the program is adopted, what are the conditions for Moldova’s participation and can Moldova access the same loans under the same conditions as EU Member States? Please give us more details on this.
Thank you. So, I got two questions. On the first [one], the Europe and Asia Security Dialogue. There is a lot of interest on both sides. We are living in this [time of] geopolitical shifts. Therefore, we see that European security is closely interlinked with security also in the Indo Pacific. We mapped with different counterparts, the places where we can cooperate, where we can share information, and we can build on that also further. Just a few examples. One is the maritime security. Developing international law together further, but also developing tools to enhance maritime security. This is in the interest of the European Union, as well as the Indo-Pacific countries. And, then cybersecurity – I think everything is connected to cyber right now, and Asian countries are also very developed in this regard. There are a lot of points of cooperation [on] what we can make better. Of course, the Asian countries are very concerned about the North Korean soldiers being deployed in Ukraine. It shows how interlinked our security theatres really are, and we need to work together to counter those threats.
And then, on your other question on SAFE. As a candidate country, Moldova can benefit from SAFE through joint procurement. So basically, [there are] two possibilities: one is by buying defence equipment together with the EU Member States, or by producing defence equipment for EU Member States, Norway and Ukraine. I just recall that Moldova was the first country to sign a Security and Defence partnership with EU. And Moldova will be able to negotiate specific terms, but yes, those tools give also possibility for Moldova to participate.
Link to the video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-273193
Source – EEAS