VIDEO Maia Sandu, historic speech applauded loudly in the European Parliament: For us this status is the light at the end of the tunnel / I heard bombs dropped in Odessa from my office

Maia Sandu delivered a historic speech in the European Parliament on Wednesday, where she demanded that the Republic of Moldova be granted the status of candidate country for accession to the European Union: “We know that it is not an easy decision, but granting the status of candidate country to Moldova is the right decision “.

UPDATE Maia Sandu holds a joint press conference with the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola.

The most important statements made by Maia Sandu in the plenary of the European Parliament:

• Russia’s war has pushed us all a century into the past
• Russia has attacked a neighboring state and unleashed a borderless tragedy on the entire European continent
• Russia wants to turn Ukraine into an annex
• We can all see the tragedies of the Ukrainians who lost their loved ones, who lost their homes. We have all seen the crimes against the Ukrainians that did no wrong to anyone
• On the morning of February 24 (no – when Russia invaded Ukraine), Moldova woke up in another world
• Like many in my country, I heard bombs dropped in Odessa from my office
• Within hours, our authorities began to receive tens of thousands of refugees fleeing the brutality of this war.
• This war must be stopped quickly
• The freedom and liberty of our people make us a country with a strong European identity, which we cherish.
• We are working to strengthen democratic processes, we are working to fight misinformation
• The people have given us a strong mandate to reform the country and bring it closer to the European Union
• The Government of the Republic of Moldova, more than ever, has made this commitment to reform the institutions
• We are now on the path to justice reform, we have been able to eliminate many corruption schemes
• I ask for your help in the fight against corruption. Please sanction politicians who have captured institutions in the past, stolen public money and moved and then invested that money, including in countries with established democracies.
• You must help us recover this stolen money and bring these fugitives to justice.
• We have been hit hard by the crises that have now culminated in the war
• The measures we are taking for energy security will work in a few years
• An important part of the trade was with Ukraine and Russia
• Another problem we face is the conflict in Transnistria
• The Moldovan government is working to keep the situation stable and we are trying to resolve this conflict diplomatically
• Today, we believe that there is no imminent threat that Moldova will be drawn into the war
• Although all these challenges exist, Moldova is determined to remain a part of the free world
• EU values ​​are our values
• At the same time, our independence must be anchored, and this is the clear prospect of joining the European Union – the status of a candidate country.
• We have chosen EU membership as a path to freedom, prosperity and peace, a path that will require a lot of work, but one that is worth taking every step of the way.
• On May 12, I also presented the full assessment that will allow the European Commission to come up with an opinion on Moldova’s status as a candidate country.
• We have all worked hard because we believe in the EU
• We know that it is not an easy decision, but granting the status of candidate country to the Republic of Moldova is the right decision.
• We are a European country. At least a third of us are European citizens
• The EU is our main investment partner
• The EU is a peace project for us
• We understand that the accession process is a long and complex one
• We want member states to be pragmatic. For us, this status is the light at the end of the tunnel
• The sign must be extended once more

Maia Sandu’s speech was widely applauded by MEPs.

On May 5, the European Parliament voted on the resolution calling for the granting of EU candidate status to Moldova.

One week ago, Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavriliţa sent the representatives of the European Union the completed second part of the questionnaire on joining the European Union.