What changed

B100080/2024

B100085/2024

European Parliament resolution on strengthening Moldova’s resilience against Russian interference ahead of the upcoming presidential elections and a constitutional referendum on EU integration

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its recentprevious resolutions on the Republic of Moldova,

– having regard to the Association Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Moldova, of the other part, which includes a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area,

– having regard to the European Council conclusions of 27 June 2024,

– having regard to the Republic of Moldova’s application for EU membership of 3 March 2022, and the European Council’s consequent granting of candidate status on 23 June 2022 based on a positive assessment by the Commission and in line with the views expressed by Parliament,

– having regard to the Association Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Moldova, of the other part,

– having regard to the convening ofCommission theOpinion firston intergovernmentalthe conferenceRepublic onof Moldova’s accessionapplication tofor themembership EU,of heldthe inEuropean JuneUnion 2024,(COM(2022)0406),

– having regard to Articles 2 and 49 of the Treaty on European Union,

– having regard to Rule 136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas the Republic of Moldova will hold presidential elections and a constitutional referendum on EU integration on 20 October 2024;

A. whereas the Republic of Moldova is a close and valued partner of the EU; whereas its application for EU membership, and the European Council’s decision to grant candidate status to the Republic of Moldova on the understanding that nine steps are taken, demonstrates a strong joint ambition for swift EU integration; whereas through the Association Agreement and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area, in force since 2016, the EU and Moldova have committed to promoting political association and achieving economic integration;

B. whereas the Russian Federation has been using provocation, disinformation, illegal funding of political parties, cyberattacks and other hybrid means to undermine the stability, sovereignty, constitutional order and democratic institutions of the Republic of Moldova; whereas Russia’s subversive activities in Moldova seek to undermine popular support for the European path chosen by the Moldovan people and foster destabilisation;

B. whereas the Government of the Republic of Moldova has embarked on a political, judicial and institutional reform process of unprecedented ambition and has demonstrated its steadfast determination to fulfil the nine steps identified in the Commission opinion in order to meet the conditions set for the opening of accession negotiations, on which the European Council decided positively on 14 December 2023; whereas the Moldovan Government’s enhanced implementation of current agreements demonstrates its commitment to closer cooperation with and integration into the EU; whereas a clear majority of Moldovan citizens supports EU membership;

C. whereas in 2023, the EU imposed sanctions on key Moldovan oligarchs and pro-Russian sympathisers, such as Ilan Shor, Vladimir Plahotniuc, Igor Ceaika, Gheorghe Cavaliuc and Marina Tauber, on the basis of a recently established sanctions regime targeting persons responsible for actions aimed at destabilising, undermining or threatening the sovereignty and independence of the Republic of Moldova;

C. whereas the decision of the European Council of December 2023 to open accession negotiations with Moldova and the convening of the first intergovernmental conference on Moldova’s accession to the European Union in June 2024 are historic milestones in the country’s relationship with the EU, reconfirming that the future of Moldova and its citizens lies within the EU;

D. whereas in June 2024, the US, together with the UK and Canada, exposed Russia’s efforts to engage in subversive activities and electoral interference targeting the Republic of Moldova;

D. whereas EU accession remains a merit-based process conditional upon the fulfilment of established criteria and conditions;

E. whereas in September 2024, the US designated three entities and two individuals for their involvement in Russia’s destabilising actions abroad, highlighting the covert capabilities of state-funded RT, formerly Russia Today; whereas the US revealed that RT has moved beyond media operations and is actively engaged in cyber activities, covert influence, military procurement, information warfare across multiple regions and efforts to interfere in Moldova’s electoral processes, as well as directly supporting fugitive Moldovan oligarch Ilan Shor and coordinating with Russian intelligence to influence the outcome of Moldova’s October 2024 presidential elections and constitutional referendum on EU accession;

E. whereas the Republic of Moldova’s democracy has demonstrated its resilience in the face of Russian disinformation and propaganda and despite increased subversive activity on the part of the Russian Federation and Russian-sponsored actors;

F. whereas the Republic of Moldova has taken steps to combat Russian interference, including by banning pro-Russian political parties, sanctioning oligarchs, suspending media outlets that spread disinformation, and increasing customs controls;

F. whereas the unprovoked, unjustified and illegal war of aggression launched by the Russian Federation against Ukraine profoundly affects regional security and stability and endangers the Republic of Moldova’s macroeconomic situation and financial stability, as well as its democratic development and social cohesion, while further increasing the incidence and severity of poverty, inflation and emigration; whereas the Russian Federation, in cooperation with domestic Russia-sponsored actors, galvanises and utilises the resultant widespread economic, geopolitical and security uncertainty to delegitimise and foster opposition to the government’s pro-European policies;

G. whereas, despite all these attempts at destabilisation, the Moldovan people and the Moldovan leadership have remained determined to follow their chosen pro-European path;

G. whereas the active measures envisaged include establishing and promoting front organisations disguised as non-governmental organisations and ‘cultural centres’, disseminating online and offline disinformation with the aim of establishing strong pro-Russian political and societal constituencies and returning the Republic of Moldova to a state of dependency on Russian hydrocarbons, and taking steps that could result in armed escalation in the occupied Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova;

H. whereas on 3 March 2022, the Republic of Moldova applied for EU membership and, on 17 June 2022, the Commission presented its opinions on the applications submitted by Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova; whereas Moldova was granted the status of EU candidate country on 23 June 2022; whereas the Commission outlined nine steps for Moldova to address in its 2023 enlargement package report, which was presented on 8 November 2023, recommending the opening of accession negotiations, provided that remaining reforms in justice, anti-corruption and deoligarchisation were accomplished; whereas the European Council decided to open accession negotiations on 14 December 2023, and the first intergovernmental conference formally launching these negotiations was held on 25 June 2024; whereas EU accession remains a merit-based process that requires fulfilment of the EU membership criteria;

H. whereas pro-Russian oligarchs Ilan Shor and Vladimir Plahotniuc, presently in exile in relation to charges and convictions concerning money laundering and embezzlement, are suspected of cooperating with the Russian Federation in order to undermine the Government of the Republic of Moldova; whereas allies of Mr Shor have reportedly actively recruited, arranged logistics for and provided financial compensation to individuals to join their protests since August 2022;

I. whereas the Moldovan Government has been pursuing an ambitious political, judicial and institutional reform process; whereas despite the dramatic effects of the war on Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova has managed to significantly consolidate its democracy and maintain the reform trajectory; whereas the improvements in the country’s democratic system have been reflected in its progress on various international indexes;

I. whereas Russia’s long-running multi-channel disinformation, propaganda, and political manipulation campaigns in the Republic of Moldova have escalated since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022; whereas Moldova’s updated national security strategy attributes disinformation campaigns and other hybrid attacks to Russia;

J. whereas on 24 April 2023, the EU set up the Partnership Mission in Moldova under the common security and defence policy, with the objective of enhancing the security sector’s resilience in the areas of crisis management, hybrid threats and countering foreign information manipulation and interference;

J. whereas the Council has adopted assistance measures worth EUR 137 million for the benefit of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Moldova under the European Peace Facility since 2021;

K. whereas on 21 May 2024, Moldova became the first country to sign a Security and Defence Partnership with the EU, which will help strengthen cooperation on security and defence policy between the EU and Moldova;

K. whereas the EU has established a non-executive, civilian common security and defence policy (CSDP) mission entitled the ‘EU Partnership Mission in the Republic of Moldova’ (EUPM Moldova) to enhance the resilience of the security sector in the areas of crisis management and hybrid threats, including cybersecurity and countering foreign information manipulation and interference; whereas strengthening these crucial efforts with increased EU assistance could make a significant difference;

1. Reaffirms its commitment to the Republic of Moldova’s future membership of the EU and acknowledges that its place is in the EU; believes that its membership in the EU would constitute a geostrategic investment in a united and strong Europe;

1. Expresses its full and unshakeable support for the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova; strongly condemns the constant and coordinated attempts by the Russian Federation, pro-Russian oligarchs and Russian-sponsored local proxies to destabilise the Republic of Moldova, sow divisions within Moldovan society and derail the country’s pro-European direction through hybrid attacks, the weaponisation of energy supplies, disinformation, bomb threats and staged protests, as well as the threat or use of violence;

2. Calls on the Commission to accelerate the completion of the bilateral screening process, which will allow for the swift organisation of future intergovernmental conferences and for the opening of negotiations under Cluster I on Fundamentals as soon as possible;

2. Highlights the serious impact of Russia’s interference on Moldovan society, which fuels social polarisation, erodes trust in democratic institutions and escalates social tensions; expresses its conviction that the EU must demonstrate solidarity with the people of Moldova and provide concrete support and assistance, as determinedly as possible, for the country’s efforts to cope with the consequences of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and with the destabilisation attempts of Russia and pro-Russian actors;

3. Condemns the increasing malicious activities, interference and hybrid warfare deployed by the Russian Federation, its institutions and proxies, with the aim of undermining and subverting the democratic electoral process, stability and sovereignty of the Republic of Moldova ahead of the presidential elections and the constitutional referendum on EU integration;

3. Calls on the Council to adopt targeted restrictive measures against individuals and organisations conducting hybrid attacks against the Republic of Moldova;

4. Reiterates its call on the Russian authorities to respect the Republic of Moldova’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to cease its provocations and attempts to destabilise the country and undermine its constitutional order and democratic institutions;

4. Commends the establishment and operations of the EUPM Moldova, a civilian CSDP mission providing tailored support to the Moldovan Government in countering cyber threats, hybrid threats and disinformation; draws attention to the numerous partner and cooperation projects conducted by EUPM Moldova in cooperation with the Moldovan Government, namely those providing support for the development of the national security strategy and the establishment and operationalisation of the Centre for Strategic Communication and Countering Disinformation and the Cyber-Security Agency, and targeted support for various ministries and government structures; calls on the Council, the Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) to provide the additional resources, including human and financial resources, equipment and civilian experts necessary to continue carrying out the mission’s mandate beyond May 2025;

5. Calls for the EU and its Member States to ensure that all necessary assistance is provided to the Republic of Moldova to strengthen its institutional mechanisms and its ability to respond to hybrid threats and counter disinformation and cyberattacks; underlines the importance of the EU Partnership Mission in the Republic of Moldova in strengthening the resilience of Moldova’s security sector in the areas of crisis management and hybrid threats, including cybersecurity and countering foreign information manipulation and interference, and calls for its mandate to be extended;

5. Calls on the Council, the Commission and the EEAS to consider, thoroughly and with the utmost urgency, substantially increasing current support measures, taking into account the increased security risks for the Republic of Moldova and the need to strengthen the resilience of Moldovan state institutions, the armed forces and society against external attempts at destabilisation and provocation; calls in this regard for Moldova to be progressively included in upcoming legislative initiatives and programmes relating to European security and defence;

6. Encourages the EU and its Member States to actively support Moldova in countering disinformation, hybrid threats, cyberattacks and multifaceted Russian interference; emphasises the particular importance of countering Russia’s falsification and instrumentalisation of history, which underscores its malign interference in the Republic of Moldova and is used to justify its war of aggression against Ukraine and its threats of further aggression against other states; considers that this should include enhancing the Republic of Moldova’s capacity to combat disinformation, strengthen its cybersecurity infrastructure and improve resilience against foreign malign influence, ensuring a secure and democratic environment; calls for increased support for Moldova’s Center for Strategic Communication and Combating Disinformation;

6. Demands that the Council, the Commission and the EEAS continue strengthening cooperation with the Republic of Moldova to enhance the country’s resilience to hybrid threats through targeted measures, including through promoting the dissemination of independent media content in predominantly Russian-speaking regions, supporting the work of journalists and civil society organisations seeking to counter disinformation, and public campaigns aimed at enhancing the public’s media and information literacy, building on the Moldovan Government’s current efforts; demands, further, that additional resources and technical know-how be provided to the Moldovan Government, aimed at assisting with its strategic communications, internal coordination and capacity-building with respect to hybrid attacks and the rapid detection and debunking of disinformation; commends the efforts by Moldovan civil society to support the Moldovan Government’s fight against disinformation, promote democratic values and enhance Moldovan society’s resilience against hybrid attacks;

7. Calls for the EU and like-minded states to closely monitor Russian interference in the Moldovan electoral process and to stand ready to use existing sanctions regimes against individuals and entities that actively participate in subverting and destabilising the political landscape, spread disinformation and sow chaos;

7. Endorses the EU-Moldova Security and Defence Partnership, signed in May 2024, which promotes a strong and tailored partnership aimed at jointly addressing shared security challenges and strengthening Moldova’s resilience; further endorses the continued work under the High-Level Political and Security Dialogue between the EU and the Republic of Moldova to enhance cooperation on foreign and security policy, raise relevant issues of concern for regional security and stability and discuss possibilities for close coordination and effective assistance and support measures; commends the Republic of Moldova’s increasing coordination regarding, and alignment with, the common foreign and security policy (CFSP); underlines the significance of Moldova’s adoption of restrictive measures against the Russian Federation in line with the CFSP;

8. Underlines the importance of continuing the country’s reform process, not only in order to achieve the political objective of EU membership, but above all to tangibly improve the standard of living for all sections of society in the country; welcomes the widespread support in the Republic of Moldova for its European integration;

8. Insists on the need for the Council and the Commission equally to continue supporting the efforts of the Moldovan authorities to maintain macro-economic stability, guarantee the Republic of Moldova’s full energy security and swiftly work towards its energy independence from Russia through the acceleration of energy diversification projects, investments in renewable energy sources and improved energy interconnections, while ensuring energy affordability, in particular for the most vulnerable people;

9. Calls for the EU and its Member States to increase financial and technical assistance to the Republic of Moldova to facilitate the process of the country’s swift and effective integration into the EU; recommends the creation of robust and flexible tools tailored to Moldova’s specific needs in order to efficiently address its economic and structural challenges, ensuring the country remains resilient and capable of implementing necessary reforms on its EU accession path, and ensuring that it is adequately funded; calls on the Commission, in this regard, to include the Republic of Moldova in the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance and to prioritise funding for candidate countries in its proposal for the next multiannual financial framework (2028-2034), ensuring the path towards EU membership;

9. Calls on the Commission to assist the Moldovan Government in putting pressure on social media platforms to address disinformation complaints effectively;

10. Calls for the adoption of a new growth plan for the Republic of Moldova so as to adequately finance and support Moldova in achieving economic convergence with the EU; believes that this plan should finance investments in infrastructure, human capital and the digital and green transitions, facilitating sustainable economic growth;

10. Welcomes Moldova’s EU-accession-related reforms, on which the country has made significant progress, and encourages the Government, the Parliament and the President of Moldova to continue the ambitious reforms concerning democracy and the rule of law, and, in particular, to continue the judicial reform, the fight against corruption and the investigations and prosecutions regarding the 2014 bank fraud scandal, while ensuring that quality and sustainability are prioritised over pace; recalls the importance of establishing a credible track record of prosecutions and convictions for corruption on the basis of proactive and efficient investigations as a matter of the greatest priority; calls on the Commission and the EEAS to swiftly come forward with a legislative proposal extending the scope of the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime to include acts of corruption as a punishable offence; calls on the Commission and the Member States to firmly support Moldova’s preparations for EU membership and proactively assist in strengthening all efforts towards the completion of Moldova’s European path;

11. Reiterates its call for an innovative, complementary and flexible interaction between the implementation of the Association Agreement and the accession negotiation process, allowing for the Republic of Moldova’s gradual integration into the EU single market, based on a priority action plan and relevant sectoral programmes and providing access to relevant EU funds, enabling Moldovan citizens to reap the benefits of accession during the process rather than only at its completion;

11. Underlines the importance of advancing the country’s reform process in order to improve the living standards of the population, especially of the more vulnerable population groups and those who live in the regions, and to provide the younger generations with attractive prospects for life and work in the country, thereby increasing societal resilience to hybrid attacks and allowing for a reduction in the number of citizens who feel the need to leave the country in order to seek better living conditions elsewhere in Europe; draws attention to the need to create opportunities for young people to engage actively in strengthening the Republic of Moldova’s resilience, including through civic education programmes, volunteering opportunities and participation in decision-making processes;

12. Advocates increased financial assistance from the European Peace Facility to further enhance Moldova’s defence capabilities, with a particular focus on air defence systems, mobility and transport, command and control, electronic warfare and logistics;

12. Reiterates its support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova and for the efforts in the framework of the 5+2 negotiation process to reach a peaceful, comprehensive and lasting political settlement of the Transnistrian conflict, based on respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova within its internationally recognised borders and with a special status for the Transnistrian region; calls on the Russian Federation, therefore, to completely withdraw its military forces and equipment from the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova and to ensure, under international oversight, the immediate evacuation and full destruction of all ammunition and equipment in the Cobasna depot;

13. Welcomes the Moldovan authorities’ considerable efforts to advance the reform agenda in order to progress towards EU membership; commends the progress made by the Republic of Moldova on justice-sector reform, especially in the context of the implementation of the Commission recommendations on Moldova’s accession application; encourages the Moldovan Government to continue working with all stakeholders towards a sustainable and comprehensive justice and anti-corruption reform, in line with EU and Venice Commission recommendations; emphasises the absolute priority of strengthening the rule of law, which has substantially gained in importance in the EU accession process and remains one of the most important conditions for EU membership to ensure that EU enlargement strengthens rather than weakens the EU and its single market;

13. Calls on all political actors to contribute to fulfilling the European aspirations of the people of Moldova by seeking to establish consensus over the most important and urgent reforms, actively engaging in the legislative work of the Parliament of Moldova with the aim of further harmonising Moldova’s legislation with EU standards, and further engaging with civil society over all major reforms, as well as the country’s European orientation;

14. Encourages the Commission to assist the Republic of Moldova in strengthening its energy security by supporting the construction of new electricity interconnections with neighbouring countries; calls on the Commission to stand ready to offer emergency assistance in case of an energy crisis ahead of and during the heating season; calls for the EU to support energy efficiency and renewable energy projects as a clean and sustainable way of diversifying Moldova’s energy supply;

14. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and the President, Government and Parliament of the Republic of Moldova.

15. Commends Moldova’s accession to EU programmes such as EU4Health, Customs, Horizon Europe, LIFE, FISCALIS, Connecting Europe Facility, the Single Market Programme, Digital Europe, Creative Europe, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, Joint Procurement Agreement to procure medical countermeasures, Employment and Social Innovation Programme, Interreg NEXT Black Sea Basin Programme 2021-2027, Interreg Danube Region Programme 2021-2027, Interreg NEXT Romania-Republic of Moldova Programme 2021-2027 and Erasmus+; supports the inclusion of Moldova in the ‘roam like at home’ initiative;

16. Calls on the Commission and the European External Action Service to improve strategic communication about the EU in the Republic of Moldova; calls on the Commission and the Member States to continue to support media literacy and the independence of the media in the Republic of Moldova, and to support the digital hardening of its critical infrastructure and the replacement of Russian-origin information and communications technology systems;

17. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Government and Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, the Russian Federation, the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the Council of Europe.