Maia Sandu advances EU accession talks. Lithuania, Denmark, and Bulgaria reaffirm support
Lithuania, Denmark, and Bulgaria have reaffirmed their strong support for Moldova’s accession to the European Union. Maia Sandu, President of Moldova, discussed the steps needed to advance the process during several phone calls with the leaders of these countries.
The head of state held talks with Gitanas Nausėda, President of Lithuania, Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of Denmark, and Rumen Radev, President of Bulgaria.
“The discussions focused on the progress of Moldova’s accession process to the European Union and the next steps needed to advance it. The leaders reaffirmed their strong support for our country’s European path,” the Presidential press service announced on Friday.
The phone calls formed part of a broader diplomatic effort by the head of state in recent weeks, which also included working visits to the European Parliament, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic.
Between May 19 and 21, Maia Sandu held talks with Alar Karis, President of Estonia, Kristen Michal, Prime Minister of Estonia, Dick Schoof, Prime Minister of the Netherlands, and Petr Pavel, President of the Czech Republic.
The president also met with Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament. She also attended the GLOBSEC Forum in Prague, which concluded her diplomatic tour of the European Union.
The head of state expressed hope that a formal decision to open accession negotiations will come in the coming weeks. She stressed that Moldova has worked hard and stands ready to begin negotiations.
“For us, integration into the European Union truly represents the strategy that can secure our long term survival as a democracy. Moldova has strengthened its resilience and worked hard, but it is difficult for a small country to withstand challenges alone for a long period,” the president said.
The European Council granted Moldova candidate status on June 23, 2022, following the application submitted on March 3 of the same year. The country later advanced in the process of aligning its national legislation with European law, known as "screening", which it completed in September 2025.
At the end of that year, Moldova entered a new stage in the accession process with the launch of technical negotiations. These negotiations now cover all six clusters and all 33 chapters of the EU acquis.
