The leaders of France, Germany and Poland are joining Moldova's Independence Day celebrations, which come just ahead of parliamentary elections that could determine whether the country will stay on a pro-European path or drift back into Moscow's orbit.

Chișinău

European Union leaders gathered in Chișinău to participate in Moldova's independence celebrations and reaffirm support for the country's ambitions to join the EU. Moldova, positioned between Ukraine and Romania, faces ongoing Russian influence, including troops in a breakaway region and alleged interference in upcoming elections.

While the EU is helping Moldova counter misinformation and strengthen its defenses, progress toward full membership has stalled due to internal EU disagreements, particularly related to tensions between Hungary and Ukraine. This delay has led to concerns about potential frustration among Moldovan citizens ahead of national elections.

EU leaders join Moldovan independence celebrations

Moldova's capital, Chisinau, is covered in the colours of a political dream – to leave behind the country's Soviet past and join the West. But despite more than 30 years of independence, Moscow's influence never feels far here. Russian troops still patrol a pro-Kremlin breakaway region in Moldova, and ahead of elections next month, Moldovan police say they've uncovered Russia-linked vote-buying schemes and paid online recruitment for protests against the pro-Western government. Moscow denies involvement, but Moldova doesn't buy it. We do know that Russia does not want to see Moldova part of the EU family, because Russia does not want to see Moldova strengthening its democracy, its sovereignty. Tiny Moldova may seem insignificant on the map, but its position sandwiched between war-torn Ukraine on one side and EU and NATO member Romania on the other means the country has become something of a geopolitical battleground between East and West. After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moldova quickly applied to join the European Union, and now top European leaders are showing up to lend support to their Moldovan counterpart. The bloc is also helping Moldova combat misinformation and boost its defences. But Moldova's path to full membership is currently on pause, caught up in an internal EU dispute linked to tensions between Hungary and Ukraine. And that's left EU officials unable to commit to concrete next steps. We should be very optimistic about the future, and for sure, sooner or later, and I assume sooner than later, we will open the negotiations of the first cluster. Critics say this delay is an own goal for Europe, because leaving an aspirant member stuck in the waiting room may only mean more disappointment and frustration just a few weeks before Moldovans head to the polls.

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