During her official to Moldova, Roberta METSOLA, EP President holds a joint press conference with Maia SANDU, President of the Moldovan Republic and talk about the challenges that the Republic of Moldova is currently facing and its path towards EU integration.

EU - Moldova (T)

press conference

METSOLA, Roberta (EPP, MT, EP President)

Moldova

SANDU, Maia (MD)

president's agenda

Moldova's application for EU membership (T)

Joint press conference by Roberta METSOLA, EP President and by Maia SANDU, President of the Moldovan Republic

SOUNDBITE (Romanian), Maia SANDU, President of Moldova Dear president of the European parliament,Roberta Metsola, dear colleagues, welcome to the briefing. On the occasion of the visit to Chisinau by Miss Roberta Metsola, the president of the European Parliament. Dear President Metsola, Dear Roberta, welcome to Chisinau.

SOUNDBITE (Romanian), Maia SANDU, President of Moldova It is my pleasure to see you this time in the Republic of Moldova and continue the important dialogue that we have with the European Parliament. For me and my colleagues that a few years go have to have aimed at changing the way politics is made in Moldova and alongside that to change Moldova itself. The European Parliament has been and continues to be a symbol of European democracy that we are being guided by and to which we relate.

SOUNDBITE (Romanian), Maia SANDU, President of Moldova The Parliament of the European Union has always been on the side of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova, which fight for freedom and fairness. The institution that you represent has always been with us in the most difficult times for our fragile democracy. Subsequently, the European Parliament was the first European institution that has said clearly and loudly that supports us in our efforts to obtain the status of a candidate country. I firmly believe that the resolutions of the European Parliament on this topic, especially the resolution approved on the twenty third of June 2022 with a majority of 529 votes by which the European legal form has opted for granting without delay on the status of a candidate country to the European Union to the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. And this has been a strong argument for the favourable decision of the European Council, which has been approved the same day.

SOUNDBITE (Romanian), Maia SANDU, President of Moldova In this context, I would like to remind what I said in my speech that I have had in the European Parliament in May. We make this choice being inspired by the aspirations of our citizens. We chose to join the European Union as a path towards freedom, prosperity and peace, a path that will require a lot of work, a lot of coordination, goodwill, but which deserves each of its steps.

SOUNDBITE (Romanian), Maia SANDU, President of Moldova Today on behalf of all our citizens that wish to live in peace and prosperity and decide their future on their own. I would like to thank you for the chance of becoming party to the European family, the permanent and ongoing support from the European Parliament in good times and hard times has been vital to maintain our country on the path of democracy and for supporting its European aspirations.

SOUNDBITE (Romanian), Maia SANDU, President of Moldova This support has come both through approving the final funding programmes proposed by the EU institutions as well as by supporting democratic initiatives, the initiatives of the civil society and the independent media. European members of Parliament had always been next to us when corrupt groupings have captured the state of the Republic of Moldova, putting it to the service of the oligarchic interests, eroding the interests of the state and undermining our European dream. In this more complicated period of our recent history, the European Parliament has sent monitoring missions to defend, to keep, to protect our fragile democracy and has drawn the attention of the entire world on our most burning issues compromise, justice and systemic corruption.

SOUNDBITE (Romanian), Maia SANDU, President of Moldova Also, our friends from the European Parliament, where we have a total support today for which we are very grateful to have supported the people that have committed to fight against corruption and fight for a clean justice. Thank you for having supported our hope, which has helped us when and we count on equally strong and solidarity support in the future.

SOUNDBITE (Romanian), Maia SANDU, President of Moldova We need support in the following steps that we will undertake to integrate our country into the European Union, including for conducting the reforms that will bring us into the EU much sooner. We do need support to overcome the dramatic consequences of the war. The Russian Federation has broken out against its neighbours and friend Ukraine, a war in which tens of thousands of innocent people die, a war where the strategic infrastructure of the country is destroyed, and the economy of a country in Ascencion and development is destroyed. While millions of Ukrainians had been forced to find refuge in the entire world to to save themselves from death. Madam President Metsola, this war has proved to all of us once again that European integration is the only path for a peaceful development of our country and the only chance to survive as a democracy.

SOUNDBITE (Romanian), Maia SANDU, President of Moldova Joining the European Union may offer us the future that we are striving for, where every citizen feels safe and can fulfil its potential, where the markets are not political conditioned and the young people enjoy opportunities in education or business. European Union is based on respect for human freedoms, dignity, democracy, rule of law, human rights, all these values underpinning all European policies representing the building blocks of the European integration. We fully share these values and we wish to be able to ensure their full respect here at home. The citizens of the Republic of Moldova are European in their thinking and their actions, and this has been proved by their fight for democracy along the three decades it has been proved through the pro-European anti oligarchic and anticorruption vote at the last elections.

SOUNDBITE (Romanian), Maia SANDU, President of Moldova They have acted in the true European solidarity period when they have opened unconditionally the doors for hundreds of thousands of refugees from Ukraine. Our citizens are European, also by the way. They work and integrate into the European Union countries where many have lived for better living conditions. We want to ensure these good living conditions here in our country and thus convince as many of our nationals as possible to come back home. And we can succeed that with the support of the European Union together to develop Moldova in the European family, making it a better place for us, for our parents and for our children. Thank you.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, Let me start by thanking you President Sandu, dear friend, Maia, for inviting me, to Moldovan for the very good meeting we have just had. I am here with many messages that we have been building on over the last months and years, that we've been, uh, meeting and talking to each other. And this is what I want to convey to you today on behalf of the European Parliament.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, Seven hundred and five elected members from twenty seven EU member states, Europe is with you and we will remain with you. We need to be strong and united in our convictions. We do this when it comes to energy by helping your country, Moldova, diversify its energy supplies to prevent further destabilisation. And here, many EU member states, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and Slovakia have already stepped up and will continue to provide stability of supply to Moldova. When we spoke, we spoke about the economic situation. The economic situation is difficult, but we have and will continue to provide support in the form of funds, but also by boosting trade and transport links. And here, let me assure you, on behalf of the European Parliament that we are ready to do more. We are ready to move even quicker than we have moved in the past. not only because there is the political will, but because this is an institution that has always walked side by side with your country in full support. As you said, we were the first EU institution. I am very proud of this to call for Moldova to receive EU candidate status. And we did this because you belong in our European family, because we share the same values and beliefs and because of people, your young people, your citizens look to Europe, then we have an obligation and a duty to be...

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, we will continue to stand with you in the next crucial steps. And this also means with practical steps, whether it is with the lifting on a permanent basis of trade barriers, also granting your country access to programmes that help so much in terms of internal markets, in terms of movement, in terms of programmes that could be offered to young people, young people. I would also like to say a few words about this information. This is a threat that is not only present here, but it is present across the European Union. This is a threat to our societies. That is no longer news when we hear it. It is an everyday reality, especially in Moldova, but also wider in Europe and in the world, sowing doubt, creating instability and spread lies forms part of the Kremlin's conventional warfare apparatus. We must counter this. We must speak up and defend our values and our views, and we need to tell things how they are. And this is why so many members of the European Parliament work hand in hand with members of the Moldovan Parliament, but also with ...

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, What I have heard, what I know about your country and I will continue with this message throughout this day as I meet the difference institutions, is that your country, first of all, is open for business and investment. Second of all, it has a big heart. It is a modern country. And you, dear Maia, are transforming a nation into a modern one with the clearest of EU perspective, with your stable leadership, we will be with you. We will stay with you. And I'm happy to answer any questions.

Question from media (Romanian) A question to Roberta Metsola. A Russian rockets have violated airspace of the Republic of Moldovan and fragments of one of the rockets have fallen on the territory of the Republic of Moldova. Can the EU help Moldova protected sky and if so, how?

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, Thank you for this question. Yes, we have been briefed not of the ongoing security threat and the situation and the vulnerabilities. We see Moldova as the country that is holding steady in the face of a very difficult war on its doorstep. It is a war, that started, you can say, on the 24th of February, but one for whom the warning signs we should have seen as a European Union to be earlier. It is a conflict that we have seen an attack that we should have been more prepared for. And we need to boost our security infrastructure. So on this, the European Parliament has been very clear. We need to create a stable security and defence union that would complement NATO. And that means that helping countries like Moldova in order to have that security, in order to prevent what could have been a much more critical incident.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, But even that is a warning sign to all of us that anything could happen. And we need to be prepared. But the leadership that has been shown by President Sandu and and the governments and the authorities of this country has been to remain steadfast in the face of any threats, not to give in to intimidation. And any vulnerabilities will be held by us to be strengthened.

Question from media (Romanian) How would you qualify the steps that the Republic of Moldova has been undertaking and its path to joining the EU and if the EU has certain reserves to our country? Thank you.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, Well, I can tell you you would not have any reserves from the European Parliament. I can also tell you that the perspective of this country to join the European Union has been clear for the past years. And it is that perspective that means and obliges us to open our door wide open when a country looks to Europe as its home, Europe should open that door. Yes, steps need to be taken. Yes, each country has its own path, but the transformational effects of a country ones that part is started is immense. So any recommendations and the nine actions that have been required from the commission and will be worked on together with the council and the parliament, we will push forward for the speed that is needed to be stepped up. And that speed is one that at the end of the day, we need to match. And once we match it, then we can continue to make sure that the process is kept up. We have already seen many, many encouraging signals. The negotiations have started. The reforms are well underway. More needs to be done. But I have no doubt that that will be done. And once the next steps are taken, we will be the first ones to make sure that we respond with the speeds...

Question from media (Romanian) In spring of this year you have declared and you have thanked Maia Sandu for her personal support of Moldova's European path or oriented towards democracy and rule of law. Could you tell me how this matches with the European democracy values with the intervention of the police and obstructing of peaceful demonstrations in the Republic of Moldova, total monopoly of the power by one party and criminal prosecution of the opposition in the Republic of Moldova? Thank you.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, The discussions that you referred to, which I had with President Sandu in the spring, I can say go in a path of conversations that we had together for many, many years. When Maia was leading a movement in order to restore democratic power in this country and one that we can see every day at all levels everywhere in this country. When we talk about rule of law, this is a fundamental value of the European Union. It is a value that joins member states together, and it is a value and a fundamental principle that one would require of any country that would like the join the European Union. It is not only the rule of law, it is democracy. It is elections that take place, elections and campaigns that are run. It is equality. It is equality of opportunity. It is dignity. These are values that are listed in our treaties and values that we would look to countries that share them with ...

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, Citizens in the European Union look to institutions such as the one that I lead in order to protect those values. Whether you outside the European Union, on a path of entering the European Union or whether you are inside the European Union, it is also something that we require also in terms of protection of journalists and the media and and activists on the street. It is one that we will require of everyone.

Question from media (Romanian) I have a question to Maia Sandu. In the last days, we see historic visits. Yesterday, we had the president of the European Commission Miss von der Leyen. Today we have Miss Metsola. Can you share with us the messages of these visits and the message from Brussels and from the entire world to the Republic of Moldova and how things develop here in Chisinau? Thank you.

SOUNDBITE (Romanian), Maia SANDU, President of Moldova The message is a message of support. And I think this is clear for everyone. And this is a support words expressed throughout these months in particular. And now when we face this energy crisis, and when the citizens of the Republic of Moldova have to pay higher prices because of the energy crisis generated by this war, when our economy goes through a difficult period and the presence of the leadership of the European Union and the Republic of Moldova is clear support sign that we are not alone in front of these difficulties, even if it is hard, we can always lean on the shoulder of our development partners, especially the European Union and the messages that we hear these days are very clear also in relation to our mid-term future. That means European integration. This is what we have heard these days and this is what we are hearing during the discussions that we are having in Brussels and other capitals. We do have the support for the European integration process. We do have support to overcome these current crises and we have support for the European integration process. We wish to have a democratic country. We want to consolidate the democratic processes and institutions, and we wish to be p...