Moldova\u2019s parliamentary elections on Sunday marked a defining moment for the former Soviet republic\u2019s future.<\/p>\n
President Maia Sandu\u2019s pro-European Party of Action and Solidarity secured a decisive victory, bagging<\/a> over 50% of the votes and at least 54 of 101 parliamentary seats.\u00a0<\/p>\n This resounding mandate, driven by a 52% voter turnout and strong diaspora support, reaffirmed Moldova\u2019s commitment to EU integration, decisively sidelining the pro-Russian Patriotic Electoral Bloc, which garnered just under a quarter of the votes (24%)<\/p>\n The result is a clear rebuke to Moscow\u2019s alleged election interference \u2013 hoax bomb threats and cyberattacks<\/a> \u2013 and underscores the small nation\u2019s resolve to chart a democratic, Western-aligned path.<\/p>\n As expected, the European Union greeted the ballot\u2019s outcome with enthusiasm. <\/p>\n European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praised<\/a> Moldova\u2019s resilience, commending the country\u2019s clear choice: \u201cEurope. Democracy. Freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n The EU\u2019s blue-and-stars-spangled door is \u201copen,\u201d the Commission chief added.\u00a0European Council President Ant\u00f3nio Costa, who echoed this sentiment, noting<\/a> the election as a clear rejection of Russian meddling.<\/p>\n But even though Moldova\u2019s vote is a bold step towards the bloc, it is not the finish line. <\/p>\n Corruption remains a persistent scourge for Chi\u0219in\u0103u that entered EU accession talks in 2023, with Transparency International\u2019s 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index ranking<\/a> Moldova 76th out of 180 countries.<\/p>\n Poverty still affects<\/a> over 30% of the population, exacerbated by economic dependence on remittances and energy vulnerabilities, particularly in Russian-controlled Transnistria. Meanwhile, political polarisation \u2013 fuelled by pro-Russian individuals like Igor Dodon and his planned protests<\/a> \u2013 threatens stability.\u00a0<\/p>\n These issues, compounded by Moscow\u2019s hybrid threats, mean that Moldova\u2019s EU path \u2013 whether in 2030 or beyond \u2013 remains promising but fragile. It will require rigorous reforms at home and sustained Western support to prevent democratic\u00a0backsliding.<\/p>\n After all, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.<\/p>\n President Sandu and her incoming government now hold all the cards to ensure that yesterday\u2019s victory does not become tomorrow\u2019s disappointment.<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2013<\/p>\n Today\u2019s edition is powered by the Party of European Socialists (PES)<\/b><\/p>\n PES Congress 2025: Progressive Mobilisation.<\/b><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Not politics-as-usual, but a large conference uniting prime ministers, mayors, politicians, journalists, activists, artists, academics, trade unionists, and entrepreneurs from across Europe and beyond to tackle Europe\u2019s big questions \u2013 and turn ideas into action. 16\u201318 October 2025, Amsterdam.<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2013<\/p>\n Roundup\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0No more waiting on anti-deforestation law \u2013 <\/strong>EU Commissioner\u00a0Ribera discouraged reopening the delayed anti-deforestation law<\/a> that would force companies to show proof that certain products sold in the bloc are not tied to forest clearance. Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall announced the potential delay last week due to technical issues.<\/p>\n \u2018Stop the clock\u2019 on AI Act \u2013 <\/strong>The EU\u2019s AI Act was approved last August,<\/a> but its phased implementation is still being discussed. Divisively so, according to a document seen by Euractiv. Some countries are eager to delay the implementation of rules on high-risk AI, while others pushed for the Act to move forward.<\/p>\n Across Europe\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cStorm Gabrielle\u201d rolls through Spain \u2013 <\/strong>The storm brought torrential downpour and thunderstorms across Catalonia and Valencia,<\/a> as well as memories of last October\u2019s catastrophic floods that killed 229 and triggered political disagreements in Spain. Victims\u2019 associations are continuing to demand justice, calling for an EU-level investigation over the handling of the disaster.<\/p>\n France contributes troops to Copenhagen <\/strong>\u2013 <\/strong>France will deploy 35 soldiers and a helicopter with \u201canti-drone capability\u201d to the European Political Community summit<\/a> on 2 October, French Foreign minister Jean-Michel Barrot said. The decision comes after several mysterious drones were spotted over Copenhagen airport last week, prompting support from multiple EU countries.<\/p>\n Austria leads fight against food supply restrictions \u2013 <\/strong>Eight small and medium-sized EU countries urged the Commission t<\/a>o speed up action against unfair practices that inflate food prices.<\/a> Economy minister Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer noted the practices target smaller member states in particular, saying the supply restrictions \u201care a major reason why food and hygiene products are sometimes significantly more expensive in our countries than in others.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Moldova\u2019s parliamentary elections on Sunday marked a defining moment for the former Soviet republic\u2019s future. President Maia Sandu\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":458847,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5174],"tags":[2000,299,5187,1699],"class_list":{"0":"post-461019","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-eu","8":"tag-eu","9":"tag-europe","10":"tag-european","11":"tag-european-union"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115288878787543480","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/461019","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=461019"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/461019\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/458847"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=461019"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=461019"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=461019"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}