PM Morawiecki: Moldova's fast-track path to EU is possible

Moldova became an EU membership candidate in 2022 along with Ukraine in a boost to the pro-Western ambitions of its government which has repeatedly accused Russia of trying to destabilise the country.

The former Soviet republic of 2.5 million people borders Ukraine and has Russian peacekeepers stationed in the pro-Moscow breakaway Transdniestria region.

"Whoever looks at the map and doesn't know our history might think Poland and Moldova have little in common. Meanwhile, the history of our countries has intertwined many times. Today, in the face of Russian aggression against Ukraine, we face similar threats,"Mateusz Morawiecki said during a visit to Chisinau.

"I believe an accelerated path is possible," he added. "Either it will be a really fast track, or the negotiations will get bogged down in long talks... I hope that the European Union will open more widely to Ukraine and Moldova."

Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean thanked Morawiecki for Poland's support.

"The reforms we are carrying out bring us closer to the European Union," he said. "Despite all the challenges and crises, we have understood that we can move along the path of integration with the EU more quickly."

Recean became prime minister in February after his predecessor Natalia Gavrilita resigned following a turbulent 18 months in power marked by economic turmoil and the spillover effects of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The two prime ministers also signed the Memorandum of Understanding on cybersecurity.

Moldova is hoping for a sign by the end of the year at least that EU accession talks can begin as the former Soviet republic races to implement reforms proposed by Brussels, Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu told Reuters on March 29.

Reforming the "extremely corrupt" justice system was a top priority, Popescu said, since half the European Commission's recommendations for Moldova focused on this sector.

The nation of 2.5 million has been hit hard by the fallout from the war in neighbouring Ukraine that has sent inflation soaring to more than 20% and caused power cuts after Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities.

Moldova says it is also facing Russian attempts to destabilize it, allegations Moscow denies.

"The accession to the European Union of countries like Moldova and Ukraine is the best and the only way to make sure that our part of Europe returns back to a situation of peace," Popescu said during a visit to Berlin.

Also vital for stability in Moldova were infrastructure projects like an electricity interconnector linking its power grid directly with neighbouring EU member Romania, bypassing Ukraine, that would diversify and therefore ensure a more secure power supply.

Popescu said international political and economic support for such projects existed but procedures to implement them were too sluggish. The deadline for the interconnector, being partly financed with EU funds, is 2026.

"Peacetime procedures need to be reassessed because we are not living in peacetime. Europe is affected by a large scale war - the biggest since World War Two," he said. "We cannot be applying the same speed and same procedures."

Popescu said this was one of the main issues he discussed with German government officials.

"We urgently need an electricity interconnection with Romania, so for us, whether the procedure lasts 1 or 5 years is not theoretical," he said, noting his country was also waiting on responses on building a second one.

Separately, Popescu said the fact the European Political Community was holding its second ever summit in Moldova in June was a strong sign of support.

The initiative, a brainchild of French President Emmanuel Macron, was founded after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, bringing together on an equal footing the EU's 27 member states and 17 other European countries.

"It's a clear sign to Moldovan society but also to the region at large that Moldova matters, that Moldova is not alone," he said, noting it was too early yet to say what concrete initiatives could be agreed.

Still, Moldova hoped to accelerate European integration measures and ensure it could benefit from initiatives EU citizens maybe took for granted, like free mobile roaming and the Erasmus student exchange programme, he said.