European Political Community Summit

The Republic of Moldova (ex-Soviet, predominantly Romanian-speaking) hosted on June 1, at the Mimi Castle in the village of Bulboaca, the second summit of the European Political Community – a new platform for political coordination, which aims to promote dialogue and cooperation in order to address issues of common interest and to strengthen the security, stability and prosperity of the European continent. The nearly 50 leaders present at the summit discussed security and peace, the development of the economic and social infrastructure in the European space and resilience in the face of the threats produced by the war in Ukraine. At the same time, European officials reiterated their support for the Republic of Moldova in order to achieve the commitments assumed as a candidate state for joining the European Union.

The summit reflects the strong determination of the European leaders to bring peace back to Europe, the host of the meeting, President Maia Sandu, stressed. According to her, the meeting ended with several concrete results for her country, among them the decision regarding the reduction of tariffs for roaming services, the launch of the EU Partnership Mission in the Republic of Moldova, a new aid package worth approximately 1.6 billions euro and 50 million euro worth of non-reimbursable funding from Norway. Maia Sandu also emphasized the fact that organizing the summit only 20 km from Ukraine „is a clear expression of solidarity with that country and the Ukrainian people, who are fighting for freedom, European values and the future of the continent”.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated at the summit that he received a strong signal of support from the allies in the matter of providing fighter planes. Zelenskiy also said that Ukraine needed future security guarantees, if joining NATO was not possible for the moment.

Also present at the summit, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, praised the reforms undertaken by the Republic of Moldova with a view to joining the EU and promised to „significantly” increase the size of the EU delegation to Chisinau, in order to „help the implementation of reforms”, while the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, said that the Transnistrian dispute would not be an impediment for the accession of the Republic of Moldova to the Union.

In his speech, the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, stressed that the Republic of Moldova is not alone, and the support of the democratic states will continue for both Chisinau and Kyiv. „The military aggression against Ukraine has been the most disruptive period after the Cold War. It is our responsibility, as the Community of European democratic states, to respond to this historic moment and to support the most vulnerable among us”, the Romanian head of state also said.

Corina Cristea, Radio Romania International