STATUTUL DE „STAT MEMBRU ASOCIAT” ÎN DREPTUL UNIUNII EUROPENE
THE STATUS OF "ASSOCIATED MEMBER STATE" IN EUROPEAN UNION LAW

Summary/Abstract: The proposal of Chancellor Friedrich Merz of 11 May 2026, envisaging an “associated Member State” status for Ukraine and analogous steps of gradual institutional integration for the Republic of Moldova and the Western Balkans, is the latest in a series of seven alternative formulas put forward by the European Union since 2022 in order to reconcile the geopolitical urgency of closer ties with the legal requirements of accession. The article examines the compatibility of the proposal with the Treaties, analyses what it adds compared to the current legal framework applicable to an advanced candidate country, draws on recent European scholarship on mechanisms for entrenching intermediate statuses, and sets out implications for the positioning of the Republic of Moldova.

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