Moldova expects positive messages regarding EU candidate status - foreign minister
CHISINAU. June 14 (Interfax) - Moldova expects very positive signals from the European Union in the context of the European Commission's expected decision concerning its application to join the EU and the upcoming European Council summit, Moldovan Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Nicu Popescu said in televised remarks on the ProTV-Chisinau television channel on Tuesday.
"We expect very positive messages from the European Union. The European Commission will make public its recommendations on June 17, the EU member states will discuss those recommendations within several days, and then they will voice their recommendation on behalf of the entire European Union on June 24. We hope we'll have a clear prospect of joining the European Union, so that we could start negotiations on accession at the next stage," Popescu said.
France is holding presidency of the European Union until the end of June, and French President Emmanuel Macron is to pay an official visit to Chisinau on Wednesday, Popescu said.
"We view the visit as a very strong signal of support for our European aspirations," he said.
The European publication Politico said on Monday that in general, the European Commission supports granting EU candidate status to Moldova and Ukraine.
The European Commission is expected to voice its decision on Friday, June 17. A week later, the European Council should discuss applications for candidate status from Moldova, Ukraine, and Georgia.
Popescu said he did not see any conflict between Moldova's membership of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and its desire to integrate into the EU. "At this point, I don't see any legal inconsistencies, but it's necessary to carry out a systemic legal analysis of benefits, investments, and the legal basis. The government will scrutinize the laws and international agreements with the CIS in terms of their possible inconsistencies with the European Union's regulations and requirements," Popescu said.
"EU integration is an absolute priority" for Moldova, he said.
Moldovan President Maia Sandu said in late May that the country's withdrawal from the CIS was not under consideration for the time being.