On 14 February, the EU Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn, met with the Minister for Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the Republic of Moldova, Tudor Ulianovschi, in Brussels.
At the briefing following the meeting, Commissioner Hahn said that “the citizens of Moldova can rest assured that the EU remains committed to pursuing political association and economic integration with the Republic of Moldova”. He also reiterated that the main objective of the EU’s efforts to assist Moldova is to achieve tangible improvements in the lives of its citizens.
“But it is for the government of Moldova to implement the key structural reforms needed to secure the benefits of the Association Agreement. Key sectors are judiciary and fight against corruption, [and] media freedom,” Commissioner Hahn added.
Hahn also said that the financial assistance to the country will remain subject to conditionality and will be linked to satisfactory progress in reforms, which the EU will closely monitor and assess.
“I have also stressed that investigations on the banking fraud need to be finalised in an impartial and comprehensive way and without any further delay,” he commented in relation to recent developments in the country.
The Commissioner also emphasised that the EU continues to support the peaceful settlement on Transnistria and the work of the OSCE Chairmanship in Office in this regard. “We welcome the significant progress made in November, as confirmed in the 5+2 talks in Vienna. We also encourage Moldova to develop a common vision for the conflict resolution,” Hahn concluded.
