Moldova starts technical negotiations with EU on accession

Moldova has launched technical negotiations with the European Union across three clusters as part of its accession process, Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration of Moldova, Cristina Gherasimov, said.

Following a meeting with European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, Gherasimov wrote on her Facebook that the three clusters form the core of the accession talks and are decisive for any EU member state, Caliber.Az reports.

In her turn, Kos noted that they had received guidance from all 27 Member States to steer work on Moldova's reform trajectory.

She described the negotiations as “another step to bring Moldovans closer to the EU.”

Moldova’s Bureau for European Integration specified that the clusters cover fundamental values, the internal market, and external relations.

Moldova and the EU have been partners for decades, formalising relations with a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement in 1994 and later signing a comprehensive Association Agreement in 2014, which deepened political ties and created a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) to integrate Moldova closer to the EU economy.

The Association Agreement entered into force in 2016, setting a framework for democratic reforms, legal approximation to EU standards, and expanded cooperation across trade, justice, and public institutions.

The EU granted candidate status to Moldova in June 2022, and the first formal accession negotiations began in June 2024, demonstrating a structured path toward potential EU membership pending reforms and political commitments.

By Jeyhun Aghazada