John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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94. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if any effort has been made by the Government to follow-up on requests for Ireland to assist Moldova in preparing for EU membership, particularly in view of attempts to destabilise the democratic government of Moldova through hybrid warfare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13678/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 94 and 113 together.

Ireland welcomed the decision of the European Council last June to grant EU candidate status to Moldova and Ukraine, an outcome we had long advocated for. As I reiterated when I spoke to Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu in January, and again at the Foreign Affairs Council last month, Ireland fully supports Moldova's application for EU membership.

In Brussels, we have worked with a group of likeminded Member States to propose a range of political and practical steps through which the European Commission might advance Moldova’s European perspective, as well as that of Ukraine and Georgia. This has included advocating for targeted EU technical and expert support to develop national negotiating platforms and comprehensive communication strategies to inform the public throughout the accession process. At the same time, we continue to support programmes in other regional and multilateral fora, including at the Council of Europe and the OSCE, to reinforce Moldova’s commitment to democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

We continuously advocate for intensified efforts to assist Moldova at the EU level. I expect that the European Council will address the matter later this week, in the context of increasing evidence of destabilising activities by external actors.

Ireland is and will continue to be steadfast in our support for Moldova. In addition to humanitarian help provided at the beginning of 2022, we confirmed an additional €5 million in December 2022 in budgetary support, which was channelled through the World Bank Multi-Donor Trust Fund. This funding, aimed at assisting the Government in meeting its most immediate expenditure needs, was in recognition that Moldova, one of the poorest countries in Europe, continues to be disproportionately impacted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

I have been deeply impressed by the generous welcome the Moldovan people have given to refugees from Ukraine, and their resilience in the face of Russian interference. I know that both Deputies Brady and Howlin share my sentiments and have expressed this on many occasions since visiting Moldova in June 2022.

My Department has been engaging with the Moldovan administration and with partners at multilateral level to identify the most efficient way to continue support Moldova to prepare for EU membership. Officials from my Department have visited Chisinau to meet senior Government representatives to discuss what other measures might be taken to accelerate Moldova’s path to accession.

We have also been following recent political developments with concern, and it is clear that attempts to destabilize Moldova have escalated. It is incumbent upon us to do all we can to support the Moldovan government and people, not least in the context of Moldova’s EU Candidate Status.