Dear Prime Minister Tofan,
It is really a pleasure to welcome you here in Brussels. We just concluded a great meeting of EU-Moldova Association Council.
The EU’s relations with Moldova have never been closer. Moldova was the first country to sign [a] Security and Defence Partnership with the European Union.
And European Peace Facility remains the backbone of Moldova’s defence modernisation. Our support through the Facility now stands at €317 million, making it the second largest recipient worldwide. In 2026 alone, €120 million will go to air defence.
Our economic ties are also growing stronger. The EU is by far Moldova’s largest trading partner. Through EU Growth Plan, we have committed €1.9 billion to support your economy, infrastructure, and connectivity. And today, we are disbursing another tranche worth of €157 million.
Moldova is moving steadily into the EU single market. You have joined this Single Euro Payments Area, which you were mentioning also in our meeting that it makes the payments faster, cheaper, and really makes the Moldovan citizens feel what being part of Europe is about.
Also, EU mobile roaming area [brings] real practical benefits for Moldovan citizens and businesses.
Security was high on our agenda. Europe has seen a spike in the Russian hybrid attacks and sabotage attempts and airspace violations in recent weeks.
Russian missiles and drones violated Moldovan airspace again over the weekend, and this is completely unacceptable. The Kremlin is putting lives at risk across the continent.
Moscow’s aim behind these actions is to create fear and paralyse our decision making. Our answer is greater resilience and more support for Ukraine. The EU and Moldova are stronger when we do these things together.
When it comes to resilience, EU helps Moldova with our EU Partnership Mission, with capacity building, rapid response measures, and sanctions against those responsible for destabilising the country.
In turn, Moldova is strong partner in Europe’s foreign and security policy, including through your close alignment with EU positions. Your contributions to EU missions in Somalia and the Bosnia-Herzegovina substantially contribute to Europe’s security.
Moldova’s EU accession is a goal that we both share. Since we met last in this format, Moldova has taken major strides towards membership. Chișinău’s reform pace is very strong. Moldova’s European path is irreversible. At the same time, sustaining reforms remains imperative.
As we heard today, the situation in Moldova’s Transnistria region remains fragile. Transnistria’ current economic model is not sustainable, which makes Chișinău’s efforts towards socio-economic reintegration all the more important. Transnistria will not become an obstacle in Moldova’s European path.
Finally continued dialogue with Chișinău and the local authorities in Comrat is important to ensure that the November elections in Gagauzia are free, fair, and transparent. They will be critical tests for Moldova’s democratic resilience and cohesion.
Prime Minister, thank you again for being here. The EU will continue to support Moldova’s resilience, security, and institutions. So, over to you.
Thank you, Prime Minister.