ERR News spoke to the deputy prime minister for European integration in Tallinn earlier this month when she attended the EU enlargement conference.

Complex reforms

Moldova was declared a candidate country for European Union accession in 2022 and was given the green light to start negotiations the following year. But the process is dependent on the reforms each country needs to make to meet the EU's admission criteria.

Asked how the process was going, Gherasimov called the reforms "very complex" and said Moldova has already done a lot of work on strengthening anti-corruption bodies and law enforcement authorities.

"Moldova is preparing to be ready for EU membership by 2030, and our reforms are aligned towards this political timeline," the deputy prime minister said.

But Chișinău does not have to battle the reform process alone and is being advised by several allies, including Estonia.

Gherasimov said: "Estonia is a great partner in our process of preparing for EU accession. We have identified a lot of similarities throughout the three decades of cooperation since our independence. And we are learning a lot from the Estonian experience."

She said Estonia's former chief negotiator with the EU from its own accession process is helping to guide Moldova's process. "So we are in close cooperation with Estonia, and we're very grateful for the support and for the guidance that we receive in the process," the deputy prime minister said.

Took part this morning in the EU Enlargement Conference Two Steps Forward, One Step Back, in Tallinn, discussing future of EU accession, from reform momentum to enlargement challenges and opportunities.

Moldova is strongly committed to continue delivering on reforms. #EUEC2026 pic.twitter.com/iA1NiSBDcG

— Cristina Gherasimov (@cgherasimov) February 13, 2026

She also said Moldova is in touch with all the countries that joined the bloc in 2004 and 2007 as well as current candidate countries from the Western Balkans, such as Albania, Montenegro and North Macedonia.

"And we're trying to support each other where we can, based on our good and bad experiences in this process," Gherasimov said.

Joint bid with Ukraine

Moldova's accession process has taken place in lock-step with Ukraine's bid and Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have urged the two countries to continue on the path together.

2030 has been mooted as a potential joining date, while Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is pushing for as soon as 2027.

Asked if the plan was still to join with Ukraine, Gherasimov did not directly answer the question.

The deputy prime minister described the accession process as "very much an individual exercise." She said each candidate country has its own "homework" to do, which depends on its own "strengths and weaknesses."

Gherasimov said the two countries are working alongside each other, as Moldova was given the opportunity due to the "unfortunate tragedy of our neighbors" after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

"We're very grateful for the sacrifice and the resilience of our Ukrainian neighbors during these last almost four years, which have provided us the peace to work on our EU accession path," she said.

But the minister also stressed the hard work Moldova has done: "Without the political will and determination at home, we wouldn't have been where we are today."

"So it's a combination of both geopolitical factors and merit-based factors that will determine Moldova's accession, Ukraine's accession, or any other candidate countries' accession," she summarized.

Support from all EU countries

Asked if the political will of the EU's 27 members is more important than completing the reforms, Gherasimov said both are equally important.

"You cannot talk about a political decision to accept a candidate country if that candidate country has not done its homework," she said.

However, she said political will is needed on both sides – for the candidate country to work on reforms, and for the member states to want to enlarge the union.

"Today, enlargement is a strategic investment into the union's own security and stability, because we know Russia's interest does not lie in Ukraine or in Moldova. Its interest lies in destabilizing and weakening Europe as a whole," she said.

Gherasimov said Moldova has support from all 27 European Union member states, even Hungary and Slovakia, which are refusing to support Ukraine.

"I had recent calls with my counterparts both in Hungary and Slovakia, but also many other countries. They all have expressed their support for Moldova's European integration," she said.

Reunification with Romania?

In January, comments from Moldovan President Maia Sandu about reunification with Romania to join the EU faster made headlines.

Gherasimov said the comments were "embedded in a broader context about Moldova's past."

"Moldovans have expressed very strong and clear support for our EU accession path for our membership into the European Union, and that is the official course and policy of the government," she said.

The discussion raised the idea of a referendum on reunification.

"We are not talking about a referendum. There is no sufficient support for a referendum to be called upon. Therefore, this was a remark embedded in a particular context at the time," the deputy prime minister said.

Russia propaganda "constantly adapting"

Moldova experienced "unprecedented interference" from Russia during its 2025 parliamentary elections as Moscow tried to sway the vote with vote buying and illegal funding.

Estonia's Foreign Intelligence Service (VLA) wrote in its annual review published earlier this month that Russia will almost certainly try similar antics in the future.

Asked how Moldova is preparing for this, Gherasimov agreed with the VLA that Russia is likely to try again.

The state is aiming to boost its cybersecurity, strengthen institutions responsible for preventing hybrid attacks and democratic institutions, such as the judiciary, prosecution, and rule of law, she said: "This is exactly what our priorities are in terms of the [EU] reforms to continue to be undertaken."

"Hopefully, this will strengthen us as a state, as a democracy," Gherasimov said.

She said this is not just a lesson for Moldova, as Russian disinformation and Russian propaganda are "constantly adapting."

"Any democracy needs to be constantly vigilant because disinformation and propaganda are not things that have a final, let's say, point of end," the deputy prime minister said.

"So here we will continue being vigilant and adapting our own mechanisms as we continue striving to strengthen and protect our democracy at home."

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