Moldova aims to join EU by 2030, parliamentary speaker says

Moldova aims to secure European Union membership by 2030 and plans to open all negotiating clusters with Brussels by the end of the summer, Parliament Speaker and leader of the ruling Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS), Igor Grosu, stated, according to TASS.

Speaking to Moldova 1 television, Grosu said the government continues to work toward advancing the country's EU accession process.

“We continue to convince our European partners that we deserve the opening of all six negotiating clusters by the end of this summer. We continue to fulfil the conditions and adopt laws as if we already had an official political decision on opening all the clusters,” he noted.

According to Grosu, Moldova aims to complete accession negotiations with the European Union by 2028 in order to become a member of the bloc by 2030. He noted that the country still needs to open four additional negotiating clusters and has already begun technical preparations for that process.

PAS and President Maia Sandu had previously pledged ahead of the 2025 parliamentary elections that Moldova would join the EU before 2028, although 2030 had earlier been identified as the target date. The party’s latest political program no longer specifies a concrete accession deadline.

Grosu acknowledged that accession negotiations do not guarantee membership and do not establish fixed timelines for joining the bloc.

Meanwhile, a survey conducted in June by Moldovan polling company IMAS found that a majority of citizens do not believe the country will join the European Union before 2028.

Public opinion on EU integration remains divided. During the 2024 presidential election, Sandu lost the domestic vote to former Prosecutor General Alexandr Stoianoglo, while a referendum on EU membership initiated by her administration also faced significant challenges. According to the report, the final outcome was influenced by votes cast by Moldovan citizens living abroad, particularly in Western countries, where more than 200 polling stations were opened.

The report also noted that a similar pattern was observed during the 2025 parliamentary elections. While the ruling PAS reportedly lost the vote inside the country, it retained its parliamentary majority with support from overseas voters. Opposition leaders rejected the election results, accusing the authorities of electoral fraud.

By Jeyhun Aghazada