The second meeting of the European Political Community will take place on June 1 at Mimi Castle, an architectural monument and Moldova’s first wine-making castle from the village of Bulboaca. Moldova will host not only the 50 presidents, prime ministers and EU officials invited, but also hundreds of foreign journalists. The Summit is viewed as a tremendous opportunity to promote meaningful dialogue and collaboration on issues that affect the wider European community, as well as an investment for the European future of the Republic of Moldova and an opportunity to build additional bridges of support and strengthen its role in the family of the European states.
The European Political Community is a platform for political coordination among European countries, which was launched on October 6, 2022, with the aim of strengthening cooperation on issues of common interest for the European continent and promoting security, stability and prosperity. The event followed on from the proposal formulated on Europe Day 2022 by the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, to establish a platform allowing EU and non-EU European countries to come together to discuss issues of shared interest in a wide range of policy areas, including security, economy and energy. The first meeting of the platform took place in Prague, where over 40 European heads of state and government expressed unity in the face of the common challenge posed by the brutal return of war on European soil, affirmed their support to Ukraine and committed to strengthening energy cooperation.
Hosting the Summit means Moldova will have much control over the official agenda, which will allow it to incite discussion on specific issues, and propose resolutions about topics that are of great importance – energy security, financial aid to increase the Moldovan military’s capacity, and help with Ukrainian refugees in Moldova. The official representatives have emphasised several benefits of the Summit for the citizens of the Republic of Moldova: international visibility, acceleration of the European accession process, the promotion of regional security, the development of economic relations with European states, the encouragement of tourism and general support from the European community. The general message that the authorities from Chisinau will be carrying on during the Summit is that „Moldovans are Europeans”, a message that stood at the basis of the rally in the Great National Assembly Square on May 21, which displayed Moldova’s enthusiasm for EU membership. President Maia Sandu stated that: “Europe is more than a political slogan, Europe is a way of life”, describing how joining the EU is “our people’s chance to live in peace and prosperity. This dream depends on each one of us.”
While many claim that the European Political Community Summit is by far the most important foreign policy event for Moldova, it is important to notice that the event is not related to negotiation process for accession and it will not catapult us overnight into the European Union. In spite of Moldova being committed to eradicating corruption and promoting transparency in all aspects of government and business, there is still much work to be done, especially in the direction of the judicial reform. Nevertheless, the hosting of the Summit will contribute to developing the country’s economy in the long and short terms and will represent an opportunity for the tourism sector, as the location was set to highlight a historical site and a tourist destination, as well as to emphasize the importance of the wine sector in the Moldovan economy.
Given the ongoing war in Ukraine and the fact that the European Political Community is still a very young organization, it is too soon to properly assess and predict what it is capable of becoming. Nevertheless, the Summit is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate that geographically small Moldova can host a high-profile conference during tumultuous times. Charles Michael, the president of the European Council, declared that on June 1 Moldova will open the country’s doors „for 50 European leaders, 50 friends of Moldova” and that this „is a historic moment for the Republic of Moldova and for its people”. On June 1, Moldova will become „the center of Europe”, showing the world its unequivocal commitment to the reforms that it is carrying out in order to become – in the near future – a member country of the European Union.
