Romanian Prime Minister Luca Niculescu in Chisinau: Bucharest will support the opening of the last two groups of negotiation chapters with the EU by the end of the year

Romania will support the opening of the last two groups of negotiation chapters for the Republic of Moldova's accession to the European Union by the end of 2026. The statement was made by Romanian Prime Minister Luca Niculescu, who was in Chisinau on Tuesday, October 27, on his first foreign visit since taking office. The official announced that Bucharest will continue to provide political support and technical expertise to the Republic of Moldova, as well as to accelerate joint projects in the energy and transport sectors.

During a joint press conference with Prime Minister Vasile Tofan, Luca Niculescu stated that he wanted to arrive in Chisinau as soon as possible after taking office. According to him, relations between Romania and the Republic of Moldova have reached one of the highest levels of cooperation in recent years, and Bucharest intends to strengthen the bilateral partnership.

"I wanted to be in Chisinau as soon as possible. The presence of my colleagues and myself reconfirms that Romania and the Republic of Moldova are cooperating at the highest, closest level in recent times and then our intention to consolidate these historical relations that we have, these deep relations in a European Union, where Chisinau belongs," declared the Romanian Prime Minister.

Niculescu specified that an important part of the discussions with his Moldovan counterpart was dedicated to joint strategic projects, especially those aimed at transport infrastructure and energy security. The Prime Minister announced that, together with Vasile Tofan, he will visit the Chisinau Power Station, part of the infrastructure necessary to consolidate the energy independence of the Republic of Moldova.

"We discussed in detail the status of interconnection projects in the field of transport, in the field of energy. These are two areas essential for the resilience of the Republic of Moldova and for connecting with the European Union through Romania, and before continuing the program of official meetings, we will visit together, Mr. Prime Minister, the Chisinau Power Station, which is a central pillar for achieving full energy independence of the Republic of Moldova, because we know that for a long time and too often energy has been used as an element, as a weapon of geopolitical blackmail. So, we will continue to support the expansion of this energy independence for the benefit of citizens," said Niculescu.

Another topic discussed by the two prime ministers was the development of economic relations and attracting Romanian investments. According to Niculescu, trade between Romania and the Republic of Moldova reached approximately 4,5 billion euros last year, and investments by Romanian companies contributed to the creation of 12.000 jobs in the Republic of Moldova.

The Prime Minister welcomed the openness of the Chisinau Government to new investments and the elimination of possible administrative obstacles that could hinder the activity of companies.

"Romanian investments have created 12.000 jobs in the Republic of Moldova, which makes us happy and makes those who occupy these jobs happy. I am also happy with what you said. The openness you have shown to welcome even more Romanian companies here and to overcome any possible bureaucratic or administrative barriers that may arise," declared the Head of the Romanian Government.

Regarding European integration, Niculescu stressed that Moldova's accession to the EU is a strategic priority for Romania. He congratulated the authorities in Chisinau for the progress made and announced that Bucharest will support the opening of the last two groups of negotiation chapters by the end of the year.

"The place of the Republic of Moldova, the place of Chisinau is, without a doubt, in the European Union and I congratulated you and congratulate you for the results obtained, which are fully deserved and I would like to say very firmly that we also strongly support the opening of the last two remaining clusters by the end of this year for accession to the European Union and I assure you once again, Mr. Prime Minister, dear Vasile, that Romania will continue to be the most vocal supporter of the Republic of Moldova at the European level, in all formats", declared Niculescu.

The Romanian Prime Minister also announced the intensification of technical assistance offered to the Republic of Moldova, including through the involvement of Romanian experts in the process of harmonizing national legislation with European legislation.

"We will also intensify the provision of technical expertise, including with Romanian experts, to continue the support, to support Chisinau in all areas of alignment with community legislation and, last but not least, Romania's support also aims at the security of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova, especially during this period when the Russian Federation continues to constantly test our way of reacting", stated the Head of the Executive in Bucharest.

Luca Niculescu stressed that the security of the Republic of Moldova and Romania remains a common concern, in the context of the threats generated by the Russian Federation in the region. The Prime Minister reaffirmed that Bucharest will continue to support Chisinau both in the European integration process and in strengthening its capacity to face security challenges.

At the end of the press conference, the Romanian Prime Minister extended an invitation to Vasile Tofan to visit Bucharest, to continue the dialogue between the two governments.

Luca Niculescu's visit to Chisinau takes place exactly one week after taking office as Prime Minister of Romania.