The leaders of France, Germany and Poland have traveled to Moldova to mark the country’s 34 years of independence from the Soviet Union, a month before the European Union candidate country is set to hold a key parliamentary election that its president warns could draw Russian interference.
French President Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Poland’s PM Donald Tusk arrived in Moldova for talks with pro-western Moldovan President Maia Sandu. The leaders will attend Independence Day Celebrations (August 27). Macron said that the visit aims to show that “Moldova matters and that its future is with EU”.
The European leaders’ visit comes a month after Sandu warned that Russia is preparing an “unprecedented interference” campaign to undermine a parliamentary vote schedule for September 28, saying, “it poses a direct threat to our national security, sovereignty, and our country’s European future”. Russia has denied meddling in Moldova.
Brussels agreed to open accession negotiations with Moldova for EU membership in 2024. Last year, Moldovans voted narrowly in favour of securing the country’s EU path. The same day, a presidential election was held, and Sandu won a second term. These votes were overshadowed by widespread claims of Russian meddling, which Moscow denied.
Moldova’s staunch pro-European path has drawn the ire of Moscow. Moldovan authorities have long accused Russia of conducting a hybrid war, spreading disinformation, vote-buying, and paid protests – to destabilize the country and derail its EU path.
Moldova’s governing pro-Western Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS), has been in power since 2021. If PAS fails to win a majority, things could get complicated because other parties are not as pro-Europe and favour some kind of reconciliation or rapprochement with Russia.