2026 Annual EU Enlargement Conference: The Republic of Moldova in the Next Stage of European Integration

Held in Chișinău on 9–10 November 2026, the Annual EU Enlargement Conference brought together officials from the Republic of Moldova and the European Union, experts, and representatives of civil society, the business community and trade unions. Over the two days, discussions focused on the progress made by the Republic of Moldova in its EU accession process and the challenges ahead. The topics addressed reflected the main areas of change as the country advances towards EU membership: judicial reform and the fight against corruption, the reorganisation of local public administration, preparing businesses and farmers for the European market, the energy transition, environmental protection, working conditions and social protection. Discussions also covered national security, countering disinformation, institutional transparency, and the role of civil society, the media and the diaspora. One thing became clear over the two days: the Republic of Moldova has moved beyond the stage of commitments and into a phase where what it manages to change in practice matters increasingly more.

The 2026 Annual EU Enlargement Conference was organised by the Bureau for European Integration, the Institute for European Policies and Reforms (IPRE) and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), in partnership with the European Integration Committee of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, the Foreign Policy Association (APE) and the World Justice Project (WJP), with the support of the European Union, Soros Foundation Moldova, GIZ Moldova, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the German Federal Foreign Office.