As of April 3, Moldovan citizens can travel to EU member states without visa. EU institutions have decided that Moldovans can travel to the EU’s border-free Schengen area visa-free provided they hold a biometric passport. In accordance with the recent European Commission proposal, the EU Parliament and the parliaments of EU member states are about to finalize the transfer of Moldova to the list of those countries whose citizens do not need visa to travel to the EU. Regulation 539/2001 is expected to enter force at the end of this month. Home Affairs Commissioner, Cecilia Malstroem, said that this step was “a great achievement as well as the beginning of a new chapter”.
Moldova, a country of about 3.5 million inhabitants, participates in the EU’s Eastern Partnership initiative on the top of which it has launched its own program – ”Visa Dialogue”. The main objective of this platform was to achieve visa-free travel in mid-2010. Moldova managed to achieve this goal in less than four years, which Commissioner Malstroem called a great success. In her opinion, the efforts of Moldovan authorities have paid off as the EU is now committed to act according to commitments it has towards nationals of third countries. Commissioner Malstroem also pointed out that Moldova’s endeavour was a superior example for other countries in the region as Chisinau, Moldova’s capital city, proved to be strongly politically committed, which resulted in the effective introduction of reforms that yielded quick and tangible outcomes.
However, it needs to be stressed here that many Moldovans enjoyed visa-free travelling throughout the EU even before April 3, as Romania granted citizenship to many Romanian-speaking Moldovans under very benevolent conditions. The procrastination with Ukraine made Brussels put both Moldova and Ukraine on “a fast visa track” in December last year. Following the current success with Moldova, Georgia should be next on the priority list for visa-free travel in the EU in June this year at the latest.
