Chisinau - The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) Secretary General Majlinda Bregu was in a visit to Moldova today where she met with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Nicu Popescu, to discuss the EU integration of the region and Moldova’s role in the South East Europe Cooperation Process (SEECP) and the RCC. 

RCC Secretary General congratulated Mr Popescu on the recommendation by the European Union on starting the accession negotiations, as well as on the speed of reforms in Moldova in full alignment with the EU, reflected in the recently published EU progress report. 

"The recommendation comes in the aftermath of Russia's complete invasion of Ukraine, as part of the European Union's intensified involvement in Eastern Europe, since Moldova is one of the South East Europe's most affected countries by the war and is receiving the highest number of refugees. We hope that EU leaders will back Commission’s recommendation for starting the negotiation process when they meet for the European Summit mid-December," said Bregu. 

Deputy Prime Minister Popescu expressed a wish for Moldova to have a stronger role in the regional initiatives, as regional cooperation is important to his country as an inseparable part of its EU integration path. 

Mr Popescu also stressed Moldova’s intention to invigorate its role in SEECP, as well as playing a more active role in the RCC Board. 

RCC SG informed the Deputy Prime Minister on the current situation in the Western Balkans region and on the latest achievements when it comes to regional cooperation. She invited Moldova to renew its participation in the RCC Board thus unlocking the full potential of regional cooperation as an accelerator of EU integration in each aspiring economy.