All posts tagged: Moldova

EU forges ahead with membership for Ukraine and Moldova after Orbán’s exit – POLITICO

EU forges ahead with membership for Ukraine and Moldova after Orbán’s exit – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The EU previously voiced concerns about anti-corruption efforts in Ukraine, and some Ukrainian lawmakers have objected to changes being demanded by Brussels. Kachka said these objections were a normal part of the democratic process, but that rule-of-law reforms were under way. Despite the optimism, the process will still be challenging. Capitals have already pushed back on the idea new countries could be waved through for geopolitical reasons, amid concerns that future governments could backslide on democracy and the rule of law, creating another confrontation like they have seen from Hungary. However, a broader discussion about reforming the process or admitting new members without full rights has not yet gotten off the ground. “With the present Hungarian government it is possible to go on with the €90 billion loan, and with the new government, we will go on to with the accession process,” Kos said Wednesday. EU leaders pose for a group photograph in Ayia Napa, Cyprus, on April 23, 2026. | Jewel Samad/AFP via Getty Images Responding to reports France and Germany want to offer …

‘They are stealing the election’: How Armenia became the next Russia-EU battlefield

‘They are stealing the election’: How Armenia became the next Russia-EU battlefield

Published by Sam Flores

The European Union breathed a sigh of relief last week when Hungary voted out Prime Minister Viktor Orban in favour of Peter Magyar.  Like Moldova’s election last year, the vote was seen as an ideological battleground between the Kremlin and Brussels.  Orban, a long-standing ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, will be replaced by Magyar, who said he wants to repair ties with the EU. “Hungary has chosen Europe,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after the results were announced. Read moreOrban ousted: What Magyar’s victory means for Hungary and the EU Now the bloc’s attention is shifting further east towards another former Soviet Union country seen to be making a similar choice: Armenia.   But this could have long-lasting consequences for the Armenian people, according to some observers.  A step towards Europe  The June 7 parliamentary elections in Armenia matter for Europe, as public opinion in the country – long aligned with Russia – is now turning toward Brussels. While campaigning officially begins 30 days before the election, candidates have already hit the trail.  …

Fear of populists is pushing governments to oppose expanding the EU – POLITICO

Fear of populists is pushing governments to oppose expanding the EU – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“Enlargement must remain demanding and merit-based to ensure its success and credibility,” France’s minister delegate for European affairs, Benjamin Haddad, told POLITICO. The biggest concern among governments is fear of political blowback against any leader who brings new EU members into a national debate, three of the diplomats and one senior EU official involved with the enlargement process said. Like others in this article, they were granted anonymity to discuss talks that are largely confidential. A repeat of the “Polish plumber” debate that gripped many EU countries before Warsaw’s admission in 2004, when some politicians argued that cheap Polish labor would replace highly paid jobs in Western Europe, is among the worries in capitals. “The same semi-populist, semi-xenophobic arguments we heard about the Poles, we are likely to hear with the Ukrainians and any other candidate,” said a diplomat from a mid-size EU country. “Who are these people? What are they going to be doing in our club? Will they be coming to take our jobs? No appetite This concern is particularly strong in France, …

Montenegro wants to join EU for security, PM says – POLITICO

Montenegro wants to join EU for security, PM says – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“The key for us, why we want to join the EU, is obviously common values that we all believe in, and secondly, it’s the single market, it’s half a billion people versus half a million Montenegrins,” Spajić said. “And the third thing is it’s a peace project, maybe even the last peace project on Earth now these days, so this is the value of the European Union.” Across Europe, non-EU countries from Iceland to Moldova have increasingly expressed interest in joining the bloc for security and safety rather than simply trade and economic benefits following Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine and Donald Trump’s threats to seize Greenland. Montenegro is by far the most advanced candidate country in accession negotiations, having closed 14 of 33 negotiating chapters, the criteria required to join the EU. But some member countries are skeptical about adding new members and first want to reform the bloc’s decision-making process. Spajić said Podgorica, which has set an ambitious target of joining the EU by 2028, was “80, 90 percent there” when it …

EU hands Ukraine and Moldova next steps toward membership despite Orbán block – POLITICO

EU hands Ukraine and Moldova next steps toward membership despite Orbán block – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Speaking after a working breakfast with Ukraine in Brussels, Marilena Raouna, the Europe minister of Cyprus, which holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, said: “Enlargement is not a symbolic gesture, it is a strategic investment in Europe’s peace and stability,” and praised Ukraine’s “extraordinary commitment” to reforms despite Russia’s ongoing war. EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos, speaking at the same press conference, said the bloc must accelerate the accession process. “We must speed up,” Kos said, adding that “there cannot be a safe Europe without a safe, democratic and prosperous Ukraine as one of us.” Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Taras Kachka called the step “revolutionary,” saying Kyiv would press ahead with reforms despite the war. Speaking after a separate meeting with Moldova, Raouna said Chișinău was “advancing decisively” in its accession process, with reforms progressing at an “impressive pace.” “This is an important and pragmatic step,” said Moldova’s Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Cristina Gherasimov, adding that accession remained “the only viable path” for the country’s future, and it hopes …

Iran war challenges Cyprus’ time in the EU hot seat – POLITICO

Iran war challenges Cyprus’ time in the EU hot seat – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Cyprus was forced to postpone a meeting of the 27 national European affairs ministers scheduled for Monday and Tuesday to discuss the bloc’s seven-year budget and Ukraine and Moldova’s path to EU membership. Delegations from those countries had also been due in Nicosia. A session of the bloc’s culture ministers was also scrapped, and ENISA, the EU’s cybersecurity agency, confirmed that its conference in the resort town of Ayia Napa on Wednesday would be postponed, with no new date announced. A rare disease summit set for Thursday was axed as well. “This is the kind of thing that can change the EU’s entire agenda,” said a diplomat from another EU country, granted anonymity to speak freely. “From energy to transport to migration, the consequences could be enormous and Cyprus’ plans for its presidency may have to follow.” Greece has sent warships and fighter jets to Cyprus after Iranian drones targeted British bases on the island, while France has dispatched frigates and pledged additional air defense systems. That comes after General Ebrahim Jabbari of Iran’s Islamic …

Mass blackouts hit Ukraine and Moldova amid ongoing Russian war

Mass blackouts hit Ukraine and Moldova amid ongoing Russian war

Published by Sam Flores

Parts of Ukraine and Moldova, including the neighbouring countries’ capitals, were plunged into blackouts on Saturday caused by a malfunction of high-voltage power lines. Power was later restored. Officials did not directly link the accident to war damage though Ukraine’s power grid has suffered from the ‍accumulated impact of Russian airstrikes. That took place as negotiations continue – with US-led diplomacy yet to yield any tangible result. Story by Valeriane Gauthier and Nicholas Rushworth. Keywords for this article Source link

‘Technical malfunction’ causes mass power outages in Ukraine

‘Technical malfunction’ causes mass power outages in Ukraine

Published by Sam Flores

Ukraine’s power grid experienced mass outages on Saturday after a “technical malfunction” caused electrical lines between Moldova, Romania and Ukraine to fail, Ukraine’s energy minister said. The malfunction “caused a simultaneous shutdown of the 400 kilovolt line between the power grids of Romania and Moldova and the 750 kilovolt line between western and central Ukraine”, Denys Shmygal said on Telegram. Problems ​in Ukraine’s ⁠power grid also led to the emergency ​shutdown ‍of Moldova’s ​energy system on Saturday, Moldova’s ​energy ministry said. The latest outages come amid recent Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure that have caused major disruptions to heat, electricity and water provision as the country faces a particularly harsh winter. Read morePower cuts and freezing temperatures test Kyiv’s resilience after Russian attacks Due to the power shortages on Saturday, Kyiv’s metro system temporarily closed, the operator said. The Kyiv metro is a vital transport artery for the capital and rarely pauses operations, even during intense Russian bombardment. Around 800,000 passengers use the system daily, according to data published last year. Many of them …

Moldova’s Sandu says she would vote for reunification with Romania  – POLITICO

Moldova’s Sandu says she would vote for reunification with Romania  – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“Look at what’s happening around Moldova today. Look at what’s happening in the world,” she explained. “It is getting more and more difficult for a small country like Moldova to survive as a democracy, as a sovereign country, and of course to resist Russia.”  Moldova was part of Romania from 1918 until 1940, when it was annexed by the USSR, before declaring independence in 1991 after the fall of the Iron Curtain. At a referendum in 2024, a narrow majority of Moldovans — 50.4 percent — voted in favor of EU membership in a vote marred by Russian interference. Sandu won reelection as president in a parallel vote with around 55 percent of the vote, defeating her pro-Russian opponent.  Despite voicing her personal support, Sandu added that she accepted the idea of reunification with Romania was not supported by a majority in Moldova — unlike joining the EU, which the country applied to do in 2022, and which she called a “more realistic objective.”  Polls show around two-thirds of Moldovans oppose reunification, while support is traditionally higher in Romania.  This story has been updated. Source link