Ion Ceban, leader of the National Alternative Movement (MAN) and mayor of Chișinău, noted that EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos announced today that the first negotiation chapter on Moldova’s accession to the European Union will be opened in mid‑June. He called this “an important step for the Republic of Moldova,” but stressed that “we must recognize that, at present, we are far from meeting the Copenhagen criteria, which require: stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy, rule of law, human rights and protection of minorities, a functioning market economy, the capacity to effectively implement EU norms, standards and policies, and much more.”

According to Ceban, the start of negotiations should compel Moldova’s government to treat the Copenhagen criteria with the utmost responsibility and finally take concrete action to ensure democracy, rule of law, respect for human rights, genuine reforms, and economic revival. Without these, he argued, real EU accession cannot be achieved.

He criticized current governance, saying:

• • Public administration reform is being carried out without broad consensus and under pressure and blackmail of mayors.
  • Education reform is limited to political approaches rather than genuine development of the sector.
  • Actions are being taken that lead to misappropriation of Chișinău’s municipal budget.

“The time for beautiful declarations has passed. The time for concrete actions has come!” – Ion Ceban concluded.