The Republic of Moldova and Ukraine on Tuesday officially started the process of joining the European Union, together with the organization of the first intergovernmental conferences. EU officials discussed with representatives of the two governments the structure and timetable of future negotiations and established the first chapters where the two states must make legislative adjustments in order to align themselves to community law. These are the so-called fundamental chapters, which prepare the legislation related to the rule of law, democracy, fundamental liberties as well as financial control. Although both states have been invited to join the EU at the same time, this is where their path splits. They might join the EU at different times, depending on progress made individually. Chi\u0219in\u0103u and Kyiv aim to maintain the accelerated pace of reforms, so that they may join the community bloc by 2030.<\/p>\n
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At the same time, the European Commission will start a process of examining the legislation of the two states to prepare its recommendations and evaluations along the way. The Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, Dorin Recean, says that Kyiv and Chi\u0219in\u0103u will continue to collaborate. \u201cMoldova and Ukraine are greatly affected by the Russian war and we help each other a lot, not only in terms of security, but also with respect to European Union integration, and we will continue to do so\u201d, Dorin Recean said. The purpose of negotiations is for the Republic of Moldova to become an EU Member State, and the pace of the negotiations will depend on the implementation of reforms in a real, substantial and irreversible way, the Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, Cristina Gherasimov, in turn pointed out. Moldovan authorities say that they are determined to advance quickly with the implementation of reforms.<\/p>\n
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The Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, Olga Stefanishyna, said that 90% of Ukrainians favor integration and thanked the EU for keeping its promise and continuing to stand by her country. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hailed the official launch of Ukraine’s accession negotiations to the EU, calling this day a historic one for a country that has been fighting for over two years against the Russian invasion. \u201cWe will never allow ourselves to be diverted from our path towards a united Europe, towards our common home for all European nations, a home that must be peaceful\u201d, president Zelenskyy argued. \u201cOur future is in the European family\u201d, the president of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, said in turn, expressing her gratitude for the support received from the leaders of the European institutions.<\/p>\n
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Romania\u2019s Foreign Minister, Lumini\u0163a Odobescu, welcomed the launch of EU accession negotiations for Kyiv and Chi\u015fin\u0103u and reiterated that the future of the two states is in the EU. The Romanian official said the start of negotiations is \u201ca fully deserved success, which rewards impressive efforts\u201d, the Romanian official said on social media. In turn, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, warned Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova that this will be a \u201cdifficult road\u201d, but one that offers \u201ctremendous opportunities\u201d. (VP)<\/p>\n