Moldova needs to take further steps in aligning with the European Union’s sanctions against Russia, according to the bloc’s executive body’s annual progress report. Moldova and Ukraine obtained candidate status for EU membership in June last year, and the European Commission’s report commends the small southeastern European country for fulfilling six out of nine criteria needed to open membership negotiations.
The report highlights Chisinau’s support of Kyiv since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and commends it for taking in large numbers of refugees. However, it urges Chisinau to make more sustained efforts in aligning itself with the sanctions and restrictive measures imposed on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Moldova started its gradual alignment with some of the 115 EU restrictive measures related to Russia/Russian activities abroad, reaching 78 percent as of August. Moldova’s pro-Western President Maia Sandu has welcomed the findings and recommendations, vowing to redouble reform efforts to join the EU by the end of the decade.
