Moldova cites Baltic model as blueprint for EU accession and security
President Maia Sandu has called for the acceleration of Moldova’s European Union accession, defining the process as a critical security imperative for both Chisinau and the broader European continent.
Speaking at a solemn session of the Lithuanian Parliament to mark 36 years since the restoration of Lithuania's independence, Sandu emphasized that Moldova’s path to the West mirrors the Baltic journey. She reminded lawmakers that Moldova was the first to recognize Lithuania’s independence from the Soviet Union in 1990, an act of early solidarity that she now seeks to reciprocate through integration.
Security through expansion
Mihai Mogâldea, Deputy Director of the Institute for European Policies and Reforms (IPRE), suggests that EU enlargement is no longer a mere technicality but a strategic pillar of European defense. He notes that the success of the Baltic states was fueled by internal political will and consistent Western support—factors Moldova is now working to align.
"Expansion is a tool for the EU to consolidate its own security and energy independence," Mogâldea stated. He argued that the current geopolitical climate requires the EU to activate long-term political will to prevent obstructionism from member states like Hungary, which currently blocks consensus on starting negotiations with Moldova and Ukraine.
Countering hybrid influence
The IPRE expert highlighted a key historical divergence: while the Baltics successfully neutralized internal pro-Russian forces in the 1990s, Moldova’s progress was hampered for decades by actors working in Moscow's interest.
Mogâldea stressed that Moldova must be more "determined and firm" in reclaiming its national values and historical narrative to neutralize hybrid threats. He noted that a democratic shift in neighboring regional partners could eventually break the current diplomatic deadlock within the EU.
A legacy of solidarity
Sandu’s official visit on March 10-11 serves as a symbolic bridge between the two nations. By invoking the 1990 resolution of the Chisinau Parliament, the President positioned Moldova not as a newcomer, but as a long-standing ally of the democratic world, now seeking its rightful place within the European structures.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
