Andrei Năstase — human rights advocate, lawyer, and former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Internal Affairs — expressed concern over the recently launched LGBTIQ+ Equality Strategy 2026–2030 by the European Commission. He stated:

“This strategy raises a profoundly sensitive question: whether and at what age a minor can choose their gender. European debates increasingly touch on issues that go beyond individual rights and reach into the moral fabric of our society. This question must be approached not ideologically, but morally, rationally, and responsibly.”

He continued: “As a father, a human rights defender, and a citizen of a country aspiring to join the European Union — with the government’s electoral promise of accession by 2028, and post-electoral by 2030 — I believe that freedom cannot be separated from responsibility.

Protecting childhood, emotional balance, and the role of parents are not obstacles to freedom, but guarantees of healthy and harmonious development.

An open society is not one without reference points. It is one that seeks balance between rights and maturity, between freedom and discernment.

Children need education, affection, and guidance — not the pressure of irreversible decisions at a stage in life when their identity is still forming.”

Năstase also highlighted the alarming levels of child poverty in Moldova:

• 1 in 5 children lives in extreme poverty
• 33.6% of children face absolute poverty
• 17.1% are affected by extreme poverty
• 46.6% of rural children are poor, compared to 18.6% in urban areas
• 21.4% of children face both monetary and multidimensional poverty

“In such a context — when tens of thousands of children go to bed hungry, unsupported, and without prospects — our priority must be the protection of childhood: access to education, healthcare, and a decent life. Not the imposition of ideological agendas that may confuse and further expose young generations.”

He emphasized:

“I firmly believe in a Europe of human dignity — a Europe that defends diversity, but does not turn it into a tool of ideological radicalism. Minority rights must be protected responsibly, but no right should be absolutized to the point of undermining the moral and social balance of the entire community.

Europe was built on the values of freedom, solidarity, and mutual respect — not on extremes and polarization. Rushed or unbalanced initiatives risk producing the opposite of their stated goals: radicalization, mistrust, and division. Instead of bringing people together, they may deepen divides and fuel anti-European propaganda that exploits any excess to weaken the Union’s unity and credibility.”

In conclusion, the former parliamentary candidate called on Moldovan authorities to adopt a clear, dignified, and balanced position — grounded in the best interests of the child, social stability, and the core values of European civilization: freedom, responsibility, and dignity.

“This position must be communicated transparently to both society and the European Commission — so that Moldova’s voice is heard and respected in the European debate.

The Europe I believe in is not one of ideological experiments, but one of people and families, of rooted freedom, of measured progress, and of dignity that unites rather than divides. That is the true Europe — the Europe of liberty that remembers responsibility, of modernity that does not sever tradition, and of reason that preserves the soul.”