Olivér Várhelyi, Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, will undertake an official visit to the Republic of Moldova from today until 11 July 2024. This visit comes after the Intergovernmental Conference, which historically opened EU accession negotiations with Moldova on 25 June.
Commissioner Várhelyi will launch the EU accession bilateral screening procedure with Moldova, starting with the fundamentals area. The bilateral screening is the first step of the negotiations, whereby the candidate country is invited to present where it stands in its preparations to adopt and implement the EU acquis, as well as the steps it intends to undertake to further align its legislation with the EU's.
The Commissioner will discuss the next steps in the EU-Moldova cooperation and future support to Moldova in meetings with President Maia Sandu, Prime Minister Dorin Recean, Deputy Prime Ministers Cristina Gherasimov and Dumitru Alaiba, Minister of Energy Victor Parlicov and Minister of Interior Adrian Efros. He will also meet with the Speaker of the Parliament, Igor Grosu, and Members of Parliament.
Commissioner Várhelyi will also visit beneficiaries of EU-funded projects, underscoring the EU's commitment to supporting Moldova's development. This includes a visit to an apartment complex that was renovated to an energy efficient standard with EU funds, a tangible example of the €1.6 billion of investments planned under the EU's Economic and Investment Plan for Moldova. He will also hand over 40 EU-funded patrol cars and body cameras to the Moldovan police, clearly demonstrating the EU's support for Moldova's security.
Commissioner Várhelyi will participate in a press conference together with Prime Minister Recean after their bilateral meeting on Wednesday.
Photo and video coverage of the mission will be provided by EbS. More information on EU-Moldova relations is available here.
(For more information: Ana Pisonero – Tel.: +32 2 295 43 20; Piotr Cichocki – Tel.: +32 229-5844)
Details
- Publication date
- 9 July 2024
- Author
- Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations