Changes from report parliamentary committee draft to plenary report

Added30. Underlines that a successful EU accession process requires strong local ownership; regrets the lack of formal mechanisms for local and regional governments (LRGs) in the proposed MFF architecture; calls on the Moldovan Government and the Commission to systematically involve Moldovan LRGs and their associations in the drafting of multiannual indicative programmes and action plans; urges the creation of dedicated capacity-building measures and funding streams within the future Global Europe framework to support Moldovan municipalities in implementing decentralisation reforms and EU-aligned public services;

Added31. Welcomes Moldova’s participation in ‘Creative Europe’, the EU programme supporting the cultural and creative sectors, from 1 January 2026, as well as in the employment and social innovation component of the European Social Fund Plus, allowing Moldova to access EU funds for projects aimed at reducing unemployment, improving the quality of jobs and promoting social innovation; calls on the Commission to support the country’s inclusion in the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications, the European Environment Agency, Erasmus+, the DiscoverEU Programme, and the school fruit, vegetables and milk scheme;

AddedHuman rights

Added32. Welcomes the efforts by the authorities of the Republic of Moldova to improve the legislative framework for gender equality, combating domestic violence and protecting victims and to align it with international and European standards, including the criminalisation of digital violence and forced marriage, and the introduction of femicide into its Criminal Code; calls on the authorities of the Republic of Moldova to strengthen the effective implementation of current legislation on combating violence against women, including domestic violence, and on protecting victims;

Added33. Welcomes the ongoing implementation of the national strategy on trafficking in human beings adopted in September 2023; calls on Moldova to further strengthen its legal and institutional framework, including by introducing more effective tools for public authorities to investigate and prosecute emerging forms of exploitation;

Added34. Notes that the legal and institutional framework for the rights of persons with disabilities in Moldova needs further alignment with the EU acquis and relevant international standards; calls in particular for aligning the framework for accessibility with the European Accessibility Act3;

Added35. Is concerned by the Chișinău city authorities’ attempts to ban Chișinău Pride and by the violent attacks against the peaceful march by counter-protesters; condemns the misinformation and targeted online disinformation campaigns propagated by Russian-affiliated local media in Moldova; calls on Moldova to ensure the right to freedom of assembly for all;

Added36. Calls on Moldova to strengthen the legal and institutional framework for the protection of the rights of persons belonging to minorities, including LGBTI people;

AddedAcademic cooperation and people-to-people contacts

Added37. Welcomes the significant progress made by Moldova in bringing its higher education system into line with the European Higher Education Area, including the participation of three Moldovan institutions in European Universities alliances as associated partners; further commends the country’s involvement in the international dimension of the 2021-2027 Erasmus+ programme and its participation in four European Education Area working groups;

Added38. Welcomes Moldova’s growing engagement with European research and innovation networks and encourages its further integration with Horizon Europe, which would provide universities and research institutions with access to European funding, collaborative research infrastructures and scientific partnerships;

Energy, the environment and connectivity

Change 10

Changed11.39. Commends the country’s continued efforts to align the Moldovan energy sector with the EU acquis and to advancemove towards its full integration into the EU energy market in order to ensure Moldova’s energy security and resilience;

Change 11

Removed12. Welcomes the completion of the construction of the Vulcănești-Chișinău 400 kV overhead power line in December 2025, with the electricity transmission through the power line expected to start in 2026; notes that this practical step reduces Moldova’s reliance on energy infrastructure in the Transnistrian region and enables the country to connect securely and reliably to the European electricity grid through Romania;

Added40. Notes with satisfaction that Moldova achieved the highest scores in transposing European legislation among the member countries of the Energy Community, also being the early mover among the Community’s Contracting Parties in fully transposing the Electricity Integration Package; calls on the Commission, the Energy Community Secretariat and other relevant actors to ensure Moldova’s full coupling with the EU electricity market by 2028 at the latest;

RemovedCooperation in the field of common foreign and security policy and progress on the Transnistrian settlement

Added41. Stresses that in order to further strengthen Moldova’s energy resilience, its authorities, with EU support, should continue diversifying its energy supply sources, accelerate its integration into the European energy market, step up investment in energy efficiency for public and residential buildings, increase domestic energy production and encourage demand reduction; welcomes Moldova’s significant increase in its share of renewable energy, which reached around 25 % of consumption in 2025 and 1 GW of total installed capacity, a significant milestone in developing the country’s local energy production and energy transition;

Removed13. Commends Moldova for its consistent cooperation on foreign policy issues and its efforts to fully align with the EU’s common foreign and security policy positions; invites the country to continue to improve this alignment, including on restrictive measures against Russia, and to continue cooperation on preventing the circumvention of sanctions against Russia and Belarus related to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine; welcomes Moldova’s increased participation in EU missions and operations under the EU’s common security and defence policy;

Added42. Welcomes the March 2025 government action plan to eliminate all dependence on Russian energy resources across the electricity, gas and petroleum sectors, adopted as part of the implementation of the EU-Moldova Comprehensive Strategy for Energy Independence and Resilience of 4 February 2025; recalls that in 2025 Russia stopped supplying the Cuciurgan power plant with gas, in a coercive attempt to influence Moldova’s international choices, and that the first victims of the ensuing energy crisis were the people on both sides of the Dniester River;

Removed14. Welcomes the extension of the mandate of the EU Partnership Mission in the Republic of Moldova until 31 May 2027 and calls on the Member States to contribute the necessary experts and financial resources; encourages the EU to continue supporting Moldova’s resilience and preparedness; calls for the EU to draw from the experience gained in Moldova in protecting the electoral process and democratic institutions in the EU itself;

Added43. Welcomes the completion of the construction of the Vulcănești-Chișinău 400 kV overhead power line in December 2025, with electricity transmission through the power line expected to start in 2026; notes that this practical step reduces Moldova’s reliance on energy infrastructure in the Transnistrian region and its vulnerability to hostile Russian influence, and enables the country to connect securely and reliably to the European electricity grid through Romania;

Removed15. Reiterates its full commitment to Moldova’s territorial integrity and to a peaceful resolution to the conflict, based on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Moldova within its internationally recognised borders; encourages Moldova to continue its reintegration efforts and calls on the Russian Federation to fulfil its international obligations by ensuring the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all of its military personnel, equipment and ammunition from the Transnistrian region;

Added44. Calls on the Commission to maximise the use of cross-border cooperation allocations available under the future Global Europe instrument and the National and Regional Partnership Fund to further accelerate the integration of Moldova’s transport, energy and digital infrastructure with the European single market; stresses that such funding should prioritise high-impact projects involving transport, energy and digital infrastructure, including cross-border interconnections, domestic renewable energy production, energy efficiency, Trans-European Transport Network alignment, energy grid synchronisation and broadband expansion; encourages the rapid development of additional energy interconnection projects with Moldova, such as the Suceava-Bălți and Gutinaș-Strășeni 400 kV overhead power lines;

Removed16. Welcomes Moldova’s decision to withdraw from the Commonwealth of Independent States;

Added45. Strongly condemns the Russian attacks of March 2026 against Ukrainian energy infrastructure that threatened Moldova’s energy and water security, which had a direct impact on the security of water resources and on the public health of 80 % of the country’s citizens, for whom the Dniester River is the main source of freshwater and drinking water, and which created a 15-day environmental emergency in the Republic of Moldova; welcomes the swift and coordinated response by the Moldovan and Ukrainian authorities and transmission system operators and calls for the EU and its Member States to provide Moldova with additional financial resources, technical assistance and specialised equipment to enhance its capacity to deal with future ecological catastrophes;

Removed17. Welcomes the continued support to the Armed Forces of Moldova under the European Peace Facility; reiterates its call on the Member States to further increase the European Peace Facility funding for Moldova to enhance the country’s defence capabilities in view of the current security threats;

Added46. Highlights that Moldova continues to face significant environmental challenges, including air and water pollution, insufficient waste management infrastructure and ongoing biodiversity loss; stresses the need to strengthen administrative capacity, improve enforcement of environmental legislation and ensure adequate investment in environmental infrastructure;

Added47. Recalls that Moldova has already suffered profoundly from the severe security, economic and social fallout of Russia’s full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine; expresses deep concern that the country is now poised to be among those most severely affected by the worsening global economic and energy crises resulting from the ongoing war in the Middle East; calls for the EU and its Member States to demonstrate continued, unwavering solidarity with Moldova and to provide the necessary support to help mitigate the impact of these overlapping external shocks on its citizens and its economy;

AddedCooperation in common foreign and security policy and progress on the Transnistrian settlement

Added48. Commends Moldova for its consistent cooperation on foreign policy issues and its efforts to fully align with the EU’s common foreign and security policy positions; notes that Moldova’s alignment rate with the EU’s foreign, security and defence policy, including mirroring of the EU’s sanctions against Russia, was 88 %; invites the country to continue to improve this alignment, including on restrictive measures against Russia, and to continue cooperation on preventing the circumvention of sanctions against Russia and Belarus related to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine; commends Moldova for hosting the highest number of displaced Ukrainians per capita and for coping with significant social, economic and administrative pressures as a result of the large inflow of refugees; welcomes Moldova’s increased participation in EU missions and operations under the EU’s common security and defence policy, such as Operation Althea in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the EU Training Mission in Somalia;

Added49. Acknowledges the role of trilateral cooperation between Moldova, Romania and Ukraine (the ‘Odesa Triangle’) in strengthening regional security, advancing the EU integration process for Moldova and Ukraine, enhancing the connectivity of these countries with the EU, and countering hybrid threats from the Russian Federation, including disinformation and foreign information manipulation, cyber-attacks and energy threats;

Added50. Welcomes the extension of the mandate of the EUPM in the Republic of Moldova until 31 May 2027 and calls on the Member States to contribute the necessary experts and financial resources; encourages the EU to continue supporting Moldova’s resilience and preparedness, for example, against unprecedented Russian interference, through the EUPM, Hybrid Rapid Response Teams, Cyber Rapid Response Teams and the EU Cybersecurity Reserve;

Added51. Highlights that physical attacks against critical infrastructure and security provocations are systematically accompanied by foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) campaigns aimed at sowing panic among the population and undermining public trust in the Moldovan authorities; stresses, therefore, the crucial importance of equipping the Moldovan institutions with robust tools for rapid crisis communication to effectively fight disinformation and ensure the swift dissemination of factual information; notes, in particular, the steps taken in 2025 to enhance the operational capacity of the Centre for Strategic Communications and Countering Disinformation and the National Agency for Cybersecurity; calls for the strategic use of available funds in 2027 and beyond to bolster Moldova’s capacity for strategic communication, cybersecurity and countering FIMI ahead of its target accession date; calls for the EU to apply lessons learnt from the experience gained in Moldova in protecting the electoral process and democratic institutions and fighting FIMI to the EU itself and to other candidate countries; welcomes, in this regard, efforts made by Member States’ public broadcasters to provide fact-based content to the Moldovan public;

Added52. Expresses concern about the instrumentalisation of religious structures for political purposes, consistent with the Russian Military Doctrine and the National Security Strategy, including attempts to influence public opinion and electoral processes in ways that may undermine Moldova’s European path; calls on the authorities of Moldova to ensure full respect for freedom of religion while preventing any undue external interference or manipulation that could affect the country’s democratic processes and strategic direction; strongly condemns the use of the Moscow-affiliated Metropolis of Chișinău and All Moldova, under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church, as a vehicle for Kremlin-directed disinformation, electoral interference and hybrid influence in the Republic of Moldova;

Added53. Reiterates its full commitment to Moldova’s territorial integrity and to a peaceful resolution to the conflict, based on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Moldova within its internationally recognised borders; encourages Moldova to continue its reintegration efforts and calls on the Russian Federation to fulfil its international obligations by ensuring the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all of its military personnel, equipment and ammunition from the Transnistrian region, the presence of which constitutes a strong violation of international law and a direct security threat to Moldova and the broader European neighbourhood;

Added54. Supports the gradual approach of the Moldovan authorities towards the country’s reintegration, with a strong emphasis on tangible socio-economic benefits for citizens on both banks of the river; calls for the EU to actively contribute to the peaceful reintegration process, including through meaningful contributions to the Convergence Fund, which will support the gradual alignment of the Transnistrian region with Moldova’s legal, economic and social framework, and deliver concrete improvements in public services and local infrastructure for citizens;

Added55. Notes with concern Russia’s ongoing attempts to exploit and foment tensions between the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia and the Moldovan authorities; supports and encourages the Moldovan Government’s continued efforts to address these challenges through constructive dialogue and inclusive reforms; urges the regional authorities to engage in this dialogue in good faith and to ensure the proper organisation of free, fair, transparent and legal elections within the region, in full compliance with Moldovan law; reiterates that a stable, cooperative relationship between the capital and the regions is essential for Moldova’s internal stability and its continued progress on the EU accession path;

Added56. Welcomes Moldova’s decision to withdraw from the Russian-dominated Commonwealth of Independent States as a sovereign and strategic choice reflecting the country’s chosen European path; calls for the legacy of the Soviet period to be addressed, for example through the declassification of the archives of former Soviet security services, and encourages discussion on the presence of Soviet propaganda symbols in public spaces;

Added57. Strongly condemns the repeated, unauthorised incursions by Russian drones into Moldovan airspace and territory since 2022, which constitute a serious violation of Moldova’s sovereignty and territorial integrity; stresses that such actions pose a direct risk to civilian safety, security and regional stability, and reiterates the need for strict adherence to international law; underlines, in this context, the critical importance of investment in air surveillance and protection infrastructure;

Added58. Welcomes the continued support for the Armed Forces of Moldova under the European Peace Facility; reiterates its call on the Member States to further increase European Peace Facility funding for Moldova to enhance the country’s defence capabilities in view of the current security threats; calls on the Commission, in coordination with the EEAS, to ensure more structured, predictable and enhanced support for strengthening the security and defence capacities of the Republic of Moldova and its alignment with EU security standards, as part of the accession process; calls for continued support for Moldova’s defence sector modernisation, including its air defence capabilities; emphasises that Moldova is not merely a security consumer but also a security provider to the EU, given its strategic location and valuable real-time experience; welcomes the recognition of Moldova as a country for which additional quantities of defence products may be commonly procured under the European defence industry programme, with the EU financial contribution rate raised from 15 % to 25 %, and calls for this preferential treatment to be embedded in the post-2027 architecture;

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59. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and to the President, Government and Parliament of the Republic of Moldova.