News about European integration

A ministerial session of the Council of Europe will be held in Chisinau on May 14-15, 2026, with the participation of foreign ministers from 46 member states. This was said at a meeting between Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Mihai Popşoi and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, in Strasbourg.

In October 2025, the Moldovan government imposed a de facto ban on sugar imports from Serbia to the Moldovan market for a period of 200 days under the pretext of protecting the sector. This measure was presented as a supportive measure to give local sugar producers another hypothetical chance to “perk up”. Even at the cost of quite real sacrifices imposed on the entire food industry of Moldova. Let us assess what happened in the end.

More than 46 million lei will be invested in the new office and smart video surveillance systems at the state border.

The committee for the development of the new Customs Code of Ukraine has approved the draft document, which was finalized taking into account comments from the European Commission and proposals from businesses.

The spring session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has started in Strasbourg. Within the session, Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mihai Popşoi will present a report on the activity of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe – in May, Moldova will complete its six-month chairmanship in this institution.

Bulgaria’s former president Radev, whose party is leading in the country’s elections, expressed readiness to develop relations with Russia. Radev is called Moscow’s “Trojan horse” and a possible second Viktor Orban, Logos Press reported citing RBC.

The European Union will be granted extended powers to monitor the use of funds and the implementation of reforms in Moldova within the framework of the Reform and Growth Mechanism. The relevant draft has been elaborated by the State Chancellery.

The Standardization Institute of Moldova initiates the creation of the Technical Committee “Wood and finished and semi-finished wood products”. In this way, the institution aims to strengthen the standardization of wood, one of the country’s leading processing industries. The standards will be harmonized with European standards.

The Energy Community and the European Commission have recognized Moldova as the best country in terms of diversification of energy sources. This was stated by PAS deputy Veronica Harbuz-Brichag at the plenary meeting of the Energy Community held in Brussels on April 16.

European Commissioner for Defense and Space Andrius Kubilius said at a meeting of the European Parliament’s Committee on Security and Defense that the first tranche of military aid to Ukraine, which will be transferred within the framework of the EU’s 90bn-euro loan, will be used to purchase Ukrainian-made drones.

When providing public services, institutions will be authorized to officially use artificial intelligence, but with clear rules and restrictions enshrined at the level of law.

The Moldovan government on Wednesday decided to create within the Foreign Ministry a “Service for Relations with Romania” aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation, as well as a “Cyber Diplomacy Service” adapted to new challenges in the digital sphere.

Moldova will be not only a recipient country, but also a donor of official assistance in the European Union within the Official Development Assistance (ODA) program. The relevant decision and regulation were approved by the government.

A mission of TAIEX experts from the European Commission is in Chisinau on April 14-16 to strengthen Moldova’s capacity to apply international restrictive measures (sanctions).

European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde has publicly backed Hungary’s possible switch to the euro, a signal that could mark a sharp reversal in the country’s economic policy after a change of government.

Estonia has been providing Moldova with continuous support on its path to the EU, including through financial assistance – including a recent package of 748,000 euros. The money will be used for strategic communication, digitalization and resilience building.

A levy of 0.5% of the investment volume to finance the development of technical standards in construction has caused concern in the business community. Representatives of the business community warn of risks to investment activity. The authorities say that it is possible to discuss the introduction of the mechanism, but not its expediency.

Moldova is waiting for the acceleration of partnership with Hungary. Moldovan President Maia Sandu said this in a message posted on social network X (Twitter) after the announcement of the results of the parliamentary election in Hungary.

Moldova plans to introduce European safety standards for road tunnels over 500 meters long. There are no such facilities in the country yet, but the bill has been drafted as part of the requirements of European Union integration and applies to tunnels in operation, under construction or in design.

Every tenth household in Moldova does not have access to drinking water and almost a quarter does not have access to a proper sewerage system. The Government plans to ensure that by 2030 at least 95% of the population has access to safe water supply and at least 65% to sewerage services.