Moldova’s Road to EU Membership – Applying Gradual Integration
Moldova’s Road to EU Membership – Applying Gradual Integration

Author(s): Strahinja Subotić
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Politics, EU-Approach / EU-Accession / EU-Development
Published by: Centar za evropske politike CEP
Keywords: Moldova; New Growth Plan (NGP); Western Balkans; accession negotiations
Summary/Abstract: The New Growth Plan (NGP) for Moldova exemplifies the gradual integration approach, combining conditional funding with sectoral integration to drive reforms and socio-economic convergence. To assess the effectiveness of this plan, the paper examines what gradual integration entails for Moldova and compares its NGP with that of the Western Balkans. Moldova has progressed rapidly on its EU integration journey, transitioning from having no European perspective to swiftly opening accession negotiations. However, this accelerated process presents challenges, as Moldova must balance increased EU interest with its limited administrative, financial, and political capacities. To address this, the EU has adopted a ‘gradual integration’ approach, allowing candidates to gain incremental access to benefits during the pre-accession period in a merit-based and reversible manner.

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