by Mihai Popșoi, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Moldova, Chişinău
The strategic vision of the Republic of Moldova in developing the partnership and relations with the European Union (EU) has always been systemically constructive for the last twenty years. The roots of today’s institutionally mature security and defence cooperation with the EU go back to the 2005 EU-Moldova Action Plan, the 2012 agreement on the participation of Moldova in the EU crisis management operations, and the 2017 agreement on exchanging and protecting classified information.
However, the year 2022 changed the gradual and evolutionary path of developing security and defence cooperation. The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, which Moldova has strongly condemned since its first days, has brought and continues to bring major risks for Moldova, as Russia has an entire arsenal of hybrid war tactics and tools: from missiles and drones falling on our territory, to the rise of cross-border crime attempts, to the pressure on the economy. As a result, negative effects of the war as well as increasing hybrid threats changed the strategic mindset in Moldova and gave additional strong synergetic impetus to our long-lasting cooperation.
Security and defence cooperation with the EU
The 2022 EU Strategic Compass for Security and Defence provided a clear vision for developing a tailored Moldova-EU partnership. From our view, it started with the launch in March 2022 of the Moldova-EU High Level Political and Security Dialogue, as well as with practical measures such as the April 2023 EU restrictive measures in the view of actions destabilising Moldova. Also, establishing the Moldova-EU Security Hub on internal security and border management proved to functionally be an effective law enforcement cooperation mechanism between Moldova and the EU institutions and Member States.
Subsequently, the European Peace Facility (EPF) budget for Moldova increased from €7m in 2021 to €50m in 2024 and the EU Partnership Mission in Moldova (EUPM) launched in May 2023. These became eloquent examples of deep and intensive practical cooperation on the ground. In fact, in May 2024 this vision was reflected in the Moldova-EU Security and Defence Partnership.
Security and defence partnership
We are proud that the security and defence partnership with Moldova was the first of this type for the EU. The EU later extended this type of agreement to other third countries and concluded partnerships with Norway, Japan, South Korea, Albania and North Macedonia. This partnership is meant to make our cooperation with the EU more holistic, integrated, better structured, covering most of the issues at the Moldova-EU discussion and consultation table in the field of security and defence. At the same time, we are looking forward to uncovering new areas for mutually beneficial interaction and cooperation. For example, we would be interested in establishing cooperation with the European Defence Agency (EDA), as well as exploring the possibilities for the integration of Moldova into the EU defence industry basic chains in the spirit of the European defence industrial strategy. In this vein, we hope that the future European Defence Investment Programme (EDIP) will be open for Moldova.
EU Partnership Mission in Moldova (EUPM)
We are also proud that the EUPM has been the first EU mission under the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) to have hybrid threats and cybersecurity in its mandate. It has become a reliable partner for Moldovan authorities in those fields, including also in the fight against illicit party financing and disinformation, as well as in the strengthening of crisis management capacities. We count on the EU’s support for the extension of the EUPM mandate beyond May 2025, along with the provision of adequate human and financial resources to continue combating the effects of the hybrid war that Moldova has actively faced for the past decades. We believe that the experience gained by the EUPM could be of added value both to EU Member States and for the future EU engagement with other third countries facing similar challenges. Overall, on our side, Moldovan resilience will be enhanced, making us a safe, stable and reliable partner with EU membership aspirations.
Moldova’s way towards EU membership
In June 2022, the European Council made a historic decision, recognising Moldova’s European perspective and granting it candidate status. This crucial anchor on our EU accession path was followed in June 2024 by the official launch of accession negotiations. Moldova’s goal is to become an EU member state by 2030.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs oversees the accession chapter 31 on foreign, security and defence policy. In the case of Moldova, in the 2023 and 2024 enlargement packages, this chapter got the highest score from the European Commission among all the accession chapters. We want to continue in the same spirit, demonstrating our determination in this field.
Commitment to the CFSP
We would also like to be a contributor to European and global security. We treat our security and defence cooperation with the EU not only as an opportunity, but also a responsibility.
Moldova is committed to gradually increasing the alignment with the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). Our alignment rate to the EU CFSP declarations and sanctions increased from 64% in 2022 to 89% in 2023 and to 91% in January to October 2024. So far Moldova has aligned itself with 37 out of the 41 EU sanctions regimes it has been invited to align with. In 2023–2024, we aligned with the 16 EU sanctions regimes that Moldova hadn’t previously aligned with, including five out of six sanctions regimes on Russia. Even in cases when existing political, economic or security vulnerabilities don’t allow us to align to a sanctions regime, we do our best to act with due diligence to prevent sanctions circumvention, including through the export control mechanism.
Bringing stability to the Transnistrian region
Transnistria remains a potential source of instability in our country and the region. Therefore, we re-affirm our determination to maintain peace on the entire territory of the Republic of Moldova and to solve the Transnistrian conflict exclusively through political dialogue and peaceful means, based on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country, within its internationally recognised borders. At the same time, the continuous illegal presence of the Russian military forces in the Transnistrian region remains an infringement of Moldova’s sovereignty and constitutional
neutrality.
We stand firm in our position and call for the complete and unconditional withdrawal of Russian forces from the territory of the Republic of Moldova in line with the 1999 Istanbul OSCE commitments, as well as the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 72/282. I would also like to draw your attention to the ammunition storage facility in Cobasna which remains a major risk factor for Moldova and the entire region. These approximately 20,000 tons of expired ammunitions must be destroyed or withdrawn through a proper, internationally transparent procedure.
Becoming a strong and reliable partner
Finally, we continue to support CSDP missions, recently seconding Moldovan personnel in Somalia (two people since
15 July 2024) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (19 people since
1 October 2024) and considering the feasibility of future extension. As a result, the vision is that Moldova becomes a reliable and strong member of the EU by 2030, being an added value for the European community.
