EU Looks to Save Moldova’s Accession Bid by Leaving Ukraine Behind
The European Union is preparing to advance Moldova’s membership process, potentially decoupling it from Ukraine’s dead-locked bid, as Hungary continues to oppose Kyiv’s accession, an EU official said.
European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that a potential “decoupling” of the two countries could happen as early as in June when key enlargement decisions are expected in Brussels.“No member state is against starting to open the first cluster with Moldova,” Kos said on Monday, acknowledging Hungary’s continued veto over Ukraine’s accession.
Kos, who took office in December, said Moldova could join the bloc by 2029 if reforms stay on track.“It would be a failure if we do not get any newcomers into the EU during this Commission,” she said.
Moldova, along with Ukraine and Georgia, applied to join the EU shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Three years on, worn down by Russian geopolitical pressure, only Moldova remains a strong contender among the trio of EU hopefuls.
Ukraine’s application has stalled due to Budapest’s objections over the treatment of ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine’s western Transcarpathian region. EU accession requires unanimous support from all member states, giving Hungary veto power.
Democratic backsliding
But, according to critics, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is using the issue to shield his government’s Russia-friendly stance. The ethnic Hungarian population in Ukraine, estimated at around 150,000 before 2022, is believed to have shrunk significantly since.
Georgia has seen its EU bid unravel amid democratic backsliding and what Brussels views as a pro-Russian turn.
In response to widely unrecognized October parliamentary elections that cemented the country’s pro-Russian government in power, and controversial legislation—such as a foreign agent law similar to one the Kremlin has used to stifle civil society— Brussels decided to freeze funds earmarked for the Black Sea nation, reinstate visa requirements for Georgian diplomats and cut diplomatic ties.
Despite that, Kos suggested dialogue with Tbilisi could resume in line with the EU’s approach to other long-stalled candidates, such as Turkey.
Russian interferenceMoldova’s path to EU membership, however, remains precarious.
The country of 2.4 million voted in favor of joining the EU in a 2024 referendum by just a few thousand ballots and continues to face persistent Russian interference in its public discourse.
According to analysts, Moscow has ramped up disinformation campaigns, targeted pro-European institutions and sought to polarize the electorate ahead of parliamentary elections later this year.
Last year, Moldova reelected President Maia Sandu in a high-stakes vote widely seen as a choice between the West and Russia.
Her victory was viewed as a mandate to continue Moldova’s push toward EU integration.
Sandu has repeatedly framed EU membership as essential to securing the country’s sovereignty.
“We must continue working day and night to join the EU as soon as possible. Not in 10-20 years, but in the next 4 years. It will not be easy, but it is not impossible. Until then, however, we can only protect our peace and freedom through external solidarity and internal unity,” she told the Moldovan Parliament in a speech in mid-April.
Source: Tvp World