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Moldova is considering unification with Romania
2026-06-02 22:56:27 / BOTA
“Moldova will consider reunification with neighboring Romania if its path to EU membership is hindered or blocked,” said Eugen Osmochescu, the country’s deputy prime minister, in an interview with Euractiv .
Osmochescu, who took office in November last year, described unification with Romania as possible if Moldova's EU accession process fails to progress after 2028.
His remarks come as Moldova is seeking to open the first "group" of accession negotiations, enforcing compliance with EU law and seeking to maintain momentum amid growing Russian pressure.
However, Osmochescu insisted that Moldova's objective remains to sign an EU accession treaty by the end of 2028. Only if this process fails to progress will political leaders seriously consider alternatives.
Asked whether Moldova risks being hindered by its membership link with that of Ukraine, Osmochescu stressed that enlargement must remain merit-based, adding that the country urgently needs tangible progress from Brussels.
"We need to send a signal to the population," he said, referring to ongoing Russian hybrid operations aimed at undermining support for EU integration.
Last March, a Russian attack on Ukraine's Dniester hydroelectric power plant in March caused an oil spill that polluted the Dniester River, a key water source for Moldova and southwestern Ukraine.
Osmochescu acknowledged that his country lacks Ukraine's ability to withstand prolonged military pressure. "We are not as resilient as the Ukrainians," he said. "We don't have a military industry. We don't have military production. We don't have an army comparable to the Ukrainian one."
Euractiv last week reported that the European Commission expected the first "core" of negotiating chapters on Ukraine and Moldova's EU membership to open on June 16.
"If it happens in June that we open negotiations, then that would be a clear signal," he said. "That's what we're aiming for."
The Deputy Prime Minister also supported discussions about gradual integration or forms of associate membership, as recently proposed by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Under Merz's proposal, an "associate member" status would give a candidate country the right to participate in councils of EU leaders and ministers without voting rights.
Regarding the idea of eventual unification with Romania and the impact it could have on Moldova's identity, Osmochescu argued that most Moldovans already have close cultural and family ties to Romania, while many of them hold Romanian citizenship.
Support for reunification is around 40% in Moldova – where roughly 850,000 of the country's 2.4 million residents hold Romanian passports – compared to around 70% in Romania.
“There is a cost,” he admitted. “It will have to be borne by Romania and by the EU. But the cost will not be as great as the unification of the two [East and West] Germanys.”
“It should be considered,” he said when asked if 2028 could become a moment for reassessment. “That’s exactly what the president said.”
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