Donate
The EPC summit brought, for the first time, the prospect of European integration without the settlement of the Transnistrian conflict. Moscow was also sent the message that Moldova's place was next to the Western democracies.
The Republic of Moldova can join the EU without solving the Transnistrian problem
The meeting took place at the Castel Mimi winery in the village of Bulboaca, located 35 km from Chisinau and 11-12 km, in straight line, from the separatist region of Transnistria controlled by Moscow, a region on whose territory there are approximately 1,500 Russian soldiers whom Moscow has refused to withdraw for years, although it committed to doing so as early as the 1999 OSCE meeting in Istanbul.
The simple fact that the summit of the European Political Community held its proceedings so close to this secessionist region seems to be a signal sent to the Kremlin that the Republic of Moldova, like Ukraine, is a state with a European, not Eurasian vocation.
This message was formulated very clearly by the most important European leaders. The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, said upon arriving at the summit, that the Republic of Moldova should start the EU accession negotiations by the end of the year. The French leader Emmanuel Macron also said that the prospect of the Republic of Moldova joining the EU was not only achievable, but also “a fact to be fulfilled”. Macron added that the presence of European leaders at the summit of the European Political Community sent a clear message to Russia that the states of the European community were united.
The most important message, though, was the one conveyed by the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borell, who said the Republic of Moldova can join the EU even without settling the Transnistrian problem, citing the example of Cyprus.
“The Republic of Moldova decides independently what happens to the Transnistrian region. Cyprus became a member of the EU with a territorial problem. Moldova can also do this,” said the European official.
It is for the first time that an EU leader is loud and clear in stating that the Transnistrian problem, a conflict frozen immediately after the Dniester war of 1992 that led to the creation of a separatist region controlled by Russia, must not become an obstacle for the accession of the Republic of Moldova to the EU and that the precedent of Cyprus can also be applied in the case of Chisinau.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zeleski, also present at the summit, voiced his conviction that the end of the war in Ukraine would be followed by the settlement of the Transnistrian conflict. The leader from Kyiv said that Ukraine was ready to offer the Republic of Moldova all the necessary support to overcome the crisis, but specified that his country would get involved in solving the conflict in the separatist region only if there was a request in this regard from Chisinau.
Military and security aid for the Republic of Moldova
Security is another key topic for the Republic of Moldova. Beyond the ongoing latent risks from the frozen conflict in Transnitria, the country is the target of a hybrid war waged by the Russian Federation and has also been targeted by a plan to overthrow the current pro-European government by means of a coup d'état. At the same time, Russia is believed to have intended, when it attacked Ukraine, to reach at least as far as Transnistria, if not seize the entire Republic of Moldova, as suggested by the famous war map of the Belarusian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko and the statement made last April by the deputy commander of the Central Military District of Russia, Rustam Minekaev.
The security of Europe as a whole and the threats generated by Russia's aggressive behavior were addressed on the occasion of the EPC summit, and the particular case of the Republic of Moldova was also noted against that background.
The German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has also stated that the countries that participated in the meeting hosted by the Republic of Moldova are countries that are defending themselves against Russian imperialism and do not accept to be colonized by Moscow, despite any difficulties generated by the decision to resist.
“All these nations [...] understand that Russia's attack against Ukraine is an attack against peace and security in Europe and the way we want to see Europe in the future”, the German chancellor said. He also said that the Republic of Moldova is currently facing Russia's attempts to destabilize the country and stressed, in this context, that Chisinau’s efforts for European integration, along with those of Ukraine and Georgia, must be supported by the EU.
Europeans do not limit themselves to only talking about strengthening the security of the Republic of Moldova. On the eve of the summit, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borell, offered the Ministry of Defense in Chisinau a batch of equipment intended for the Armed Forces.
Josep Borell has stated that Brussels will continue to contribute to the security, stability and prosperity of the Republic of Moldova and that this is only the first step.
The Moldovan Minister of Defense Anatolie Nosatii has announced that more than 30 contracts have already been signed for the purchase of equipment that will help the Republic of Moldova become a much safer country:
“By the end of this year, other equipment such as: ambulances, demining robots, transport vehicles and medical equipment are to be received. The more than 80 million euros from this support package are allocated for the purchase of logistics, communications and IT equipment. Also, the assistance offered will be redirected towards the purchase of radar equipment, which will contribute to increasing the surveillance capabilities of the national airspace.”
Also on the eve of the meeting in Chisinau, the EU Civilian Assistance Mission was officially opened, which aims to strengthen Chisinau's resistance to the risks created by the Russian Federation, and on the day of the summit, six military transport planes, loaded with weapons, ammunition and equipment for the police of the Republic of Moldova, donated by Poland, landed there.
A PR stunt for Moldova and a message from the West to Moscow
It is still not very clear where the EPC is headed, what kind of forum or organization it could become in the future, or if it succeeds in moving from discussions to concrete initiatives and results. At least for now, the European Political Community is of little relevance and can in no way be considered an antechamber (or extended form) of the European Union, or an organization similar in any way to the Council of Europe.
Having said that, there is no doubt that, for the Republic of Moldova, the summit proved to be an opportunity and a PR stunt.
Forty-nine European leaders participated, in the Republic of Moldova, in the summit of the European Political Community, the second since the French president Emmanuel Macron initiated this pan-European forum. The presence of so many heads of state and government – almost all of them from Europe – was considered to be, in itself, a success for Chisinau, as was the almost unprecedented media exposure that the Republic of Moldova benefited from during the summit.
Moreover, the president Maia Sandu noted after the event, Chisinau’s image was improved in a very short time and the Republic of Moldova is no longer seen as an obscure area, but as a future member of the EU. Maia Sandu added that, currently, Chisinau is no longer alone in the face of the dangers it faces.
The summit also brought new promises of financial support to the Republic of Moldova. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced the increase by 600 million euros, up to 1.6 billion euros, of the amount provided by the EU Plan for the economic recovery of the Republic of Moldova. It is a substantial increase, especially if we take into account the fact that the GDP of the Republic of Moldova was approximately 14 billion euros in 2022. The Prime Minister of Norway, Jonas Gahr Store, also promised 50 million euros, money that will be dedicated to supporting reforms in the Republic of Moldova. And this amount is more significant than it seems at first glance, considering the limited financial resources of the Republic of Moldova (for years one of the poorest countries in Europe), tested to the limit by the economic problems triggered by the pandemic, the effects of the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis.
Another significant first should be noted: airspace security was ensured during the summit by over 200 military personnel from NATO states - French, British, Romanian and American - alongside military personnel from the Republic of Moldova. Therefore, the summit of the European Political Community seems to have brought added value not only in the relationship of the Republic of Moldova with the EU, but also with NATO. Another signal sent to the Kremlin that the Republic of Moldova is reserved a different role on the future geopolitical maps than Moscow wants.
