Joint Declaration following the second EU - Republic of Moldova Summit

Joint Declaration following the second EU - Republic of Moldova Summit

We, the leaders of the European Union and the Republic of Moldova, held our second EU-Moldova Summit in Brussels on 22 June 2026 and have concluded the following:

1. The partnership between the EU and Moldova has continued to grow stronger, anchored in the shared values of democracy, rule of law and respect for fundamental rights, international law, multilateralism and the rules-based international order. The Summit reflects the depth of our partnership and the concrete benefits it brings to our citizens. We reiterate that the future of Moldova and its citizens is within the European Union.

2. We reiterate our resolute condemnation of Russia's unjustified and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine. Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine continues to threaten regional and European security. We maintain a strong commitment to peace, security, and stability across Europe, and to counter the threats posed by Russia through our cooperation, convinced that the security and stability of Moldova contribute directly to the security and stability of Europe as a whole. The EU reaffirms its unwavering support for Moldova's sovereignty, stability, territorial integrity, and prosperity.

3. In consecutive elections and a national referendum, citizens of Moldova have affirmed their sovereign choice for EU integration as a strategic objective. Moldova confirmed its strong and constant commitment and determination to pursue this objective, including by enshrining EU accession in the Constitution of Moldova. We underline the importance of considering Moldova's long-term reform and accession needs. In this context, the EU is fully committed to providing continued political, economic, financial, technical and strategic support to the European path of Moldova.

4. The EU welcomes the holding of the Intergovernmental Conference on the accession of the Republic of Moldova to the European Union and the opening of the fundamentals cluster on 15 June 2026, and looks forward to the opening of the other clusters, in line with the merit-based approach.

5. We welcome the reform progress achieved by Moldova and the country's strong commitment to align with the EU acquis despite unprecedented external pressures. The successful completion of the screening process and Moldova's consistent implementation of reforms demonstrate its readiness to advance on its EU path. We reiterate our commitment to advancing Moldova's EU accession process swiftly and based on credible reforms and the principle of own merits in line with the Copenhagen criteria. The EU encourages Moldova to maintain the strong momentum in its EU-related reforms, ensure their irreversibility, and continue delivering benefits that are felt and recognised throughout Moldovan society.

6. We commend the effort and continued commitment by Moldova to strengthen the rule of law and fundamental rights including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. We welcome the efforts by Moldova to fight corruption, to pursue broad structural reforms and to ensure a justice system that upholds the rule of law and delivers for all citizens, including through the completion of the judicial vetting process. The EU encourages Moldova to step up its efforts in 1 this regard. A strong, independent, and impartial judiciary, and a solid track record of preventing and fighting corruption, including at the high level, are essential elements of Moldova's democratic transformation and its EU path. The EU will continue to support Moldova in this endeavour.

7. We welcome Moldova's efforts in the fight against serious and organised crime, including cross-border crime, in particular on firearms and drugs trafficking, migrant smuggling and the trafficking in human beings, as well as in the cooperation against irregular migration. In that respect, we support the cooperation with Europol and Member States under the existing operational and strategic cooperation arrangements. We welcome Moldova's accession as observer to the European Network against Corruption, and the European Crime Prevention Network and its participation as an observer in the meetings of the European Judicial Network. We have a shared interest in strengthening Moldova's border infrastructure and, in this vein, we highlight the EU support to Moldova for enhanced border surveillance and detection capacities.

8. Looking ahead, we agree to continue Moldova's gradual integration into the EU's internal market across key sectors and to enable Moldova's progressive participation in EU policies and programmes already during the accession process, stressing the importance of Moldova's continued alignment with EU acquis. This will stimulate economic growth, deliver benefits to citizens and businesses and strengthen resilience and convergence, while enhancing Moldova's preparedness for EU membership.

9. We note positively that the Moldova Growth Plan is already delivering tangible results and helping to bring the country closer to EU membership by accelerating reforms. We welcome the release of funds of the pre-financing and two subsequent tranches under the Reform and Growth Facility amounting to around EUR 504 million. The Growth Plan will continue to support key institutional and regulatory reforms to help create better jobs and opportunities while supporting priority investment projects across the country. An additional EUR 528 million in financial support from the facility will be unlocked if Moldova continues at a steady pace and achieves all the reform steps due in 2026.

10. We highlight that trade and investment between Moldova and the EU have grown substantially to the benefit of businesses and consumers. Moldova's economy is increasingly interconnected with the European single market thanks to the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) under the EU-Moldova Association Agreement. Increasing direct investments between Moldova and the EU foster integrated value chains, structurally tying the economies together. We welcome the successful EU-Moldova Investment Conference on 4 June illustrating the interest from business leaders for further economic integration. We welcome Moldova joining the Single Euro Payments Area and the substantial savings it brings for people and businesses alike in both Moldova and the EU.

11. We commend the progress Moldova has made to strengthen its energy security. The impact of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and its attacks on critically important regional energy infrastructure, as well as the crisis in the Middle East underpin the urgency of continued efforts to increase interconnectivity and advance towards market coupling, develop wellfunctioning energy markets and diversify supplies, increase energy efficiency and accelerate development of local renewable energy. We welcome the launch of the Project for Energy Efficiency of buildings. The completion and operationalisation of the Vulcăneşti - Chișinău high voltage power line will mark another defining milestone for Moldova's energy security. The EU will continue to support Moldova in its efforts towards energy diversification, efficiency, independence and interconnectivity with the EU, including through the Vertical Gas 2 Corridor with a view to strengthening regional energy resilience and security of supply.

12. We underscore our shared commitment for further strengthening people-to-people contacts and advancing sectoral cooperation as key drivers of Moldova's integration with the EU. We welcome the EU's intention to support Moldova's closer association to the Erasmus+ programme and to extend the DiscoverEU rail pass to young travellers from Moldova, as well as the announcement of a project for rehabilitation and modernisation of schools. We welcome the signature of the EU-Moldova Research Framework Arrangement which sets out a framework for a mutually beneficial cooperation in the implementation of Smart Specialisation Strategies. We highlight the strengthened cooperation in the area of climate change resilience, mitigation and environmental protection, including granting Moldova the cooperating country status in the European Environment Agency, a step forward toward deeper climate and environmental policy alignment. We agree to further deepen our cooperation on agriculture, including by establishing a High-Level Dialogue on Agriculture between the EU and Moldova to support Moldova's reform agenda in the field of agriculture in preparation for accession. The EU will support Moldova's accession to the European Travel Commission.

13. We commend Moldova's progress in digital transformation and media. We welcome Moldova joining the EU's Roam-Like-At-Home area. We will support Moldova's efforts in obtaining observer status in the European Artificial Intelligence Board. We will continue joint work towards Moldova's further integration with the EU Digital Identity Framework, and alignment with EU legislation on digital services and markets, audiovisual and media. We underline the importance of the European Digital Media Observatory hub in detecting disinformation and information manipulation in Moldova. We will also continue to provide support through the relevant initiatives of the European Democracy Shield, including the Common Research Support Framework and the European Network of Fact-Checkers.

14. The EU acknowledges the challenges faced by Moldova on cybersecurity. We will enhance our cooperation in order to further strengthen Moldova's cybersecurity resilience. In this context, we highlight Moldova's access to the EU Cybersecurity Reserve. Moldova will take necessary steps to align with the EU Toolbox on 5G Security, in line with its commitments under the Reform Agenda.

15. We emphasise the critical role of transport connectivity in deepening EU-Moldova integration, including through Moldova's progressive alignment with the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) and the operationalisation of Solidarity Lanes. We underline the significant mutual economic benefits of the EU-Moldova Road Transport Agreement and further investments to support the rehabilitation of the TEN-T infrastructure. In this context, efforts to advance Moldova's integration into the Single European Rail Area, the deployment of the EU Standard Gauge rail infrastructure, the Ungheni-Chișinău railway line are key steps. We also recognise the strategic importance of enhanced North-South connectivity, notably through the Baltic-Black Sea-Aegean corridor.

16. We commend Moldova's determined efforts to strengthen its resilience across all dimensions of society. Moldova has demonstrated remarkable resolve in countering foreign interference and information manipulation (FIMI). The EU welcomes Moldova's ongoing efforts to share lessons learned with like-minded partners. The EU reaffirms its commitment to safeguarding Moldova's democratic resilience, including through the EU Partnership Mission to Moldova and the full breadth of the EU's hybrid toolbox, as well as support to civil society and independent media. We welcome the new assistance measure under the Foreign Policy Instrument to bolster Moldova's resilience.

17. Moldova remains on the frontline of hybrid attacks, both directly and as a consequence of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. We unequivocally condemn Russia's repeated violations of Moldova's airspace, deliberate ecological sabotage, cyberattacks, FIMI, weaponisation of energy and all other acts of malign interference designed to destabilise the country. The EU reaffirms its commitment to Moldova's security, preparedness and resilience, including through strengthened civilian crisis management capacities and continued support to the National Crisis Management Centre. We welcome sustained cooperation in countering hybrid threats through the use of relevant instruments, including the EU Hybrid Toolbox, and Moldova's Centre for Strategic Communication and Countering Disinformation. Moldova's membership in the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) is critical to strengthening its preparedness, as demonstrated by the activation of the mechanism following the Russian strikes on Ukrainian critical infrastructure causing the contamination of the Nistru River. Enhanced cooperation with Moldova within the framework of the EU Strategic Approach to the Black Sea region also has the potential to serve this purpose.

18. We welcome the continued deepening of cooperation between Moldova and the EU in the field of Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). We remain committed to the swift implementation of the Security and Defence Partnership. We will continue to work towards the further integration of Moldova into the European security and defence architecture and its participation in relevant initiatives and cooperation mechanisms. We appreciate the continued and reinforced cooperation under the European Peace Facility, meant to respond to the most urgent operational needs. Moldova is a valuable contributor to EU missions and operations under the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), and we will explore options to increase these contributions further. The EU appreciates Moldova's high alignment with CFSP positions and encourages further alignment with the EU restrictive measures.

19. We reaffirm our strong support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Moldova within its internationally recognised borders. We urge the Russian Federation to fulfil its commitments undertaken at the 1999 OSCE Istanbul Summit to withdraw all its troops and ammunition from the Transnistrian region of Moldova. The EU commends Moldova's efforts to maintain peace and stability on both sides of the Nistru River and the steps taken by the Moldovan government towards the gradual convergence of the two banks. The EU remains committed to actively supporting the country's comprehensive, peaceful and lasting reintegration.

20. The EU will accelerate and further deepen its comprehensive engagement with Moldova, including, inter alia, through regular EU-Moldova Summits.