German media and experts see this statement not as an isolated episode, but as part of a broader European trend – the desire of small states for greater security amid geopolitical instability.
“Moldova is a special case, including from a historical point of view. And geographically: to the east of the country is Ukraine, which suffered from Russian aggressive invasion. And to Moldova’s northeast is the separatist region of Transnistria, with direct ties to Moscow. But Sandu’s statement may also reflect a broader trend: small states are increasingly wary of large ones,” the German newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau wrote.
The article, titled “Treason: Moldova’s fierce debate over joining Romania – what’s being said about it in Germany and Europe,” notes that “nationalism is blossoming across Europe”: “Perhaps that’s why news from a small country on the eastern border of the EU made headlines this week even in Germany.”
In Germany, Sandu’s statement is seen in a broader context. According to SPD MEP Tobias Kremer, the “pressure tactics” employed by major powers – not only China and Russia, but also the United States – are increasing the interest of smaller countries in the EU as a guarantor of security and a rules-based world order.
The authors also refer to the words of Brigitte Triebel, head of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation’s office in Moldova, who says that “Sandu’s words did not come as a complete surprise” because she “has not ruled out reunification for a long time – at least in a crisis situation”. But she is speaking openly about it only now, because she is in her last term as president of Moldova
The newspaper, however, notes that this is not a specific government program, but rather a political signal.
To summarize, the authors of the article say that the discussion around Moldova fits into a pan-European trend: the choice between formal sovereignty and collective defense, and this choice is allegedly facing not only Moldova, but also a number of other small European states.
“At the same time, in all these cases we are talking about issues of strategic choice: sovereignty on the one hand, and defense and common strength on the other. At the same time, there are forces that would prefer to see Europe not as a unified whole, but as a set of fully sovereign but weaker individual states. And such forces exist not only in Moldova,” the article says.
We shall remind you that in an interview with the British podcast The Rest Is Politics, Sandu admitted that in case of a referendum, she would vote in favor of Moldova joining Romania.
