MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on strengthening Moldova’s resilience against Russian interference ahead of the upcoming presidential elections and a constitutional referendum on EU integration

B10‑0080/2024

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

(2024/2821(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its recent 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[1], which includes a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area,

– 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 convening of the first intergovernmental conference on Moldova’s accession to the EU, held in June 2024,

– 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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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.