Moldova Opens EU Membership Talks, President Urges Recognition of Efforts

Moldova has opened its first “cluster” of negotiations to join the European Union, marking a major step for the ex-Soviet republic of nearly 3 million people. President Maia Sandu addressed an EU-Moldova summit in Brussels on June 22, 2026, saying: “We hope the member states will recognise our effort.” The country, which borders Ukraine, is becoming an intense battleground between pro-EU and pro-Kremlin forces as it moves closer to the bloc. Sandu spoke with FRANCE 24’s Europe editor-in-chief Caroline de Camaret at the summit. The event also featured a report by FRANCE 24’s Isabelle Romero and Anaïs Chesnel, filmed at the inaugural conference on EU investment in Moldova.