Why Moldova’s EU membership bid remains tied up with Ukraine’s fate

Good morning.

Today, I preview the first ever summit between the EU and Moldova taking place at a crucial time for the country, and my colleagues report on Europe’s deadly summer heat.

Have a great weekend.

One of us

Moldova’s President Maia Sandu hosts the EU’s leadership for a summit in Chișinău today to remind the bloc of why it should let her country join.

Context: Moldova opened accession talks with the EU together with Ukraine last year, as Russia’s aggression injected new momentum into the enlargement process. Each step along the accession process needs to be unanimously approved by existing EU member states.

Supporters of Moldova’s membership are increasingly concerned that Hungary’s block on Ukraine’s accession, and the informal linking of the two countries’ bids, could unfairly hinder Chișinău.

They see the summit with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President António Costa as a means to remind Brussels of its individual merits.

“This summit is a clear sign of the EU’s continued trust in Moldova and the value of enlargement for the entire community,” Moldova’s European integration minister Cristina Gherasimov told the Financial Times.

Officials expect announcements regarding the disbursement of cash from an EU growth fund for Moldova and access to the EU’s mobile phone roaming initiative.

Denmark, which took over the rotating EU presidency for the coming six months, has pledged progress on both Ukraine’s and Moldova’s accession this year.

“We cannot afford not to move on with enlargement,” Danish Europe minister Marie Bjerre told the FT. “This is about our security and stability in Europe.”

The minister, who will be chairing the ministerial council in charge of enlargement, said Ukraine and Moldova’s membership bids should not be separated. “We are putting the pressure on opening cluster one for both Ukraine and Moldova,” she said, referring to the first thematic chapter of the talks. “I want to send the message to Moldova that it’s important that we also move on with enlargement for them.”

Bjerre said she planned “to push Hungary to lift its reservation. It is the only country that is blocking”.

She said she would be “willing to see” whether the 26 member states could move forward on the talks without Hungary, getting Budapest’s approval later on.

“We are ready also to use all political or practical tools in order for us to move forward with enlargement,” Bjerre said.

Chart du jour: Domestic front

German businesses have warned that the country’s reintroduction of the army draft would deepen the country’s worker shortage.

Changing climate

Summer in Europe now means routine blazes and heat-related deaths, as countries once again suffer under the roasting heat, write Giuliana Ricozzi and Barney Jopson. 

Context: Europe has been hit by a record heatwave over the past weeks, with southern and central European countries hit particularly badly. The UN has warned that global average temperature could rise to almost 2C above pre-industrial levels in the next five years.

Italy reported four apparent heat-related deaths in the last few days as temperatures hit 40 degrees.

While some regions banned outdoor work in the middle hours of the day in the construction industry and agriculture, delivery company Glovo came under fire for offering its riders paid bonuses on deliveries made when temperatures surpass 32 degrees. Glovo later backtracked on its decision.

Meanwhile, a huge blaze broke out on the Greek island of Crete, devastating large swaths of forest and damaging buildings. Thousands of tourists and residents were forced to evacuate from hotels and homes, as firefighters struggled to contain the flames fanned by high winds.

In Spain, two agricultural workers were killed by fire and smoke in the northeastern province of Lleida earlier this week as several blazes tore through the area.

In addition, a 67-year old man died because of extreme heat in the western region of Extremadura, and yesterday a 75-year old man died in Córdoba.

“It’s very sad that, simply because it’s hot and you go out and do certain activities, you can lose your life from one day to the next,” said the mayor of Córdoba, José María Bellido.

Spain’s meteorological agency is predicting temperatures in Córdoba will hit 41C today.

What to watch today

1. EU-Moldova summit.

2. European Central Bank president Christine Lagarde meets German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin.

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