31 March 2026, Chișinău — With the opening of technical negotiations on all chapters, the authorities of the Republic of Moldova have entered a rigorous process of constant monitoring of priority reforms for accession, the so-called benchmarks, carried out together with the European Commission.

’We began this process with a crucial first step: explanatory sessions in which Commission experts clarified, in detail, the expectations for the Republic of Moldova in each key area. Yesterday, this phase was completed for all 33 negotiation chapters,’ said Cristina Gherasimov.

The first sessions took place in February, covering chapters related to fundamental values, the internal market, and external relations, based on the criteria communicated on 15 December 2025—the date technical negotiations for these three groups of chapters were launched. Subsequently, sessions for clusters 3, 4, and 5 were conducted at an accelerated pace, just two weeks after the start of technical negotiations in Brussels on 17 March.

During these discussions, together with the working groups and European experts, each priority reform was analysed in depth. ‘Today, the picture is clear: we know exactly what legislation is to be adopted, which institutions will be strengthened, and what concrete steps will be taken in the coming years. These commitments are, for the most part, already reflected in the 2025–2029 National Programme for the Accession. The explanatory sessions are not a formal exercise; they are the foundation for the next stage—the monitoring meetings, where concrete progress will be demonstrated,’ noted Cristina Gherasimov.

According to the Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, the fact that technical negotiations have been launched on all chapters and that there is direct, methodical cooperation with the European Commission allows for accelerating preparations for accession and transforming the European objective into concrete benefits for citizens through the modernisation of the country and living standards.