EU and Moldova forge deeper ties at historic first Summit in Chișinău

At the first ever EU-Moldova Summit in Chișinău, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Council António Costa and President of the Republic of Moldova Maia Sandu agreed to deepen cooperation in the interest of EU and Moldovan citizens. The leaders discussed EU accession and related reforms, economic growth as well as security and defence cooperation, including countering hybrid threats.

During the Summit, President von der Leyen announced the release of €270 million in pre-financing from the €1.9 billion EU Growth Plan for Moldova, supporting the country's reforms and bringing its economy closer to the EU Single Market. This disbursement will translate into a new Bălți Regional Hospital, restored district heating in Chișinău, and lower electricity and gas bills for the people of Moldova. Overall, the Growth Plan will support better roads, modernised schools, new hospitals, growth for small businesses and the protection of Moldovan cultural heritage. This investment underscores the EU's strong commitment to Moldova's success.

President von der Leyen also announced that cheaper euro bank transfers will be available as of 5 October 2025 through Moldova's inclusion in the Single European Payment Area (SEPA), granted in March by Member States.

Finally, President von der Leyen has proposed to integrate Moldova into the EU Roaming area as of 1 January 2026. The ‘Roam Like at Home' initiative will allow Moldovan citizens to make calls, send text messages and use mobile data with Moldovan numbers while travelling in any of the 27 EU Member States without incurring roaming fees.

The leaders agreed to step up efforts to counter ongoing hybrid and cyber-attacks by Russia and its proxies aimed at destabilising the country ahead of the September parliamentary election.  

The EU reaffirmed its assistance for Moldova's resilience, including through the EU Partnership Mission in Moldova as well as supporting Moldova's Centre of Strategic Communications tasked with detecting and debunking Russian disinformation. Leaders highlighted the need for clear communication on the benefits of EU integration and stressed the importance of strengthening anti-corruption efforts and safeguarding the integrity of the upcoming elections.

A Joint Declaration, including the full list of deliverables, President von der Leyen's speech at the EU-Moldova Summit, and a factsheet with further details are available online.

Background 

EU-Moldova relations are at an all-time high as Moldova advances on its EU path. In June 2022, Moldova was granted candidate status. The European Council decided to open accession negotiations with Moldova in December 2023. The first Intergovernmental Conference, officially opening accession negotiations, took place in June 2024. 

In October 2024, Moldovan citizens chose to anchor their European future in their country's Constitution. On 4 June 2025, the EU-Moldova Association Council highlighted the EU and Moldova's joint efforts to accelerate integration across various policy fields, in particular greater access to the EU Single Market.

The EU is supporting Moldova through political, financial and technical assistance. In March 2025, the EU adopted the €1.9 billion EU Growth Plan for Moldova. The Growth Plan – the largest EU financial support package since Moldova's independence – underpins reforms essential for Moldova's EU accession and has the potential to double the Moldovan economy over the next decade, transforming the lives of Moldovan citizens.

Earlier this year, the Commission and Moldova agreed on a 2-year Comprehensive Strategy for Energy Independence and Resilience to decouple Moldova from the insecurities of Russian energy supply and fully integrate it in the EU energy market. Under this strategy, overall support to the Republic of Moldova will account to €250 million.