In Rome, Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu met with Lorenzo Fontana, President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Parliament. The Speaker expressed his gratitude for Italy’s continued support for the modernization of the Republic of Moldova and received assurances of Italy’s support for the country in advancing its European agenda.

Another topic discussed during the meeting with the President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies was the ratification of the Social Security Agreement.

“This is an agreement that our Moldovan citizens in Italy have been waiting for for decades. Such gestures strengthen the sincere friendship between our countries and recognize the enormous contribution of our diaspora in Italy,” Igor Grosu emphasized.

The Speaker also met with Yaël Braun-Pivet, President of the French National Assembly. Their discussions focused on Moldovan-French cooperation, support for Moldova’s European integration, and the challenges facing the Republic of Moldova that must be overcome to ensure citizens have access to gas and electricity, particularly during the winter.

Igor Grosu also highlighted the vote by French parliamentarians on the recognition of driving licences and underscored the next objective: advancing the social protection agreement by the end of 2026.

“The Republic of Moldova has officially opened four clusters of negotiating chapters for accession to the European Union. We are continuing reforms and meeting every condition on merit. We are counting on France’s support to take the next steps and open the final two clusters of negotiating chapters by the end of the year,” Igor Grosu said during his meeting with Yaël Braun-Pivet.

During his meeting with Numan Kurtulmuş, Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, Igor Grosu discussed the situation in the Gagauz autonomous region and the upcoming elections there.

In this context, the Moldovan Parliament Speaker invited Turkish MPs to participate in the elections as observers.

“It is important to us that the region develops in peace and stability as an integral part of the Republic of Moldova, while preserving and promoting its Gagauz identity, language, and culture,” the Parliament Speaker added.

From October 15 to 16, Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu is visiting the Italian Republic to participate in the European Conference of Presidents of Parliaments of the member states of the Council of Europe.

The event brings together more than 70 presidents and vice-presidents of parliaments from the Council of Europe’s 46 member states, as well as over 500 delegates.

This year’s discussions focus on three main themes: hybrid threats to resilient democracies, artificial intelligence and the labour market, and the role of parliaments in managing contemporary crises.