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Signed letter to President von der Leyen - Roaming in Moldova

21. November 2022

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Brussels, 09 November 2022

EU-Moldova Roaming Agreement

Dear Madam President,

While Vladimir Putin is waging a brutal war against Ukraine, he spares no effort to destabilize our democratic allies. Moldova – our Eastern Partner and EU candidate country has been long on Putin’s mind. Russia continues blackmailing Moldova with gas supply and attempts to overthrow public order through orchestrated unrests. In this respect, it is our duty to further strengthen the ties with Moldova and work closely with its Government. One way to do this is by abolishing roaming tariffs between the EU and Moldova through a bilateral agreement as repeatedly requested by Moldova’s Government, including personally by President Maia Sandu.

Madam President, it is commendable that in your State of the Union address in September, you called for bringing Ukraine into the European free-roaming area. At the same time, we should not forget Moldova that also suffers under the dire consequences of Putin’s war.

From the very beginning of the discussions on roaming in the Eastern Partnership, Moldova has been the most ardent promoter of the idea. A bilateral agreement between the EU and Moldova will be a strong political and social sign of support for the country and its people. The agreement would naturally follow the outcome of the increased interactions and mobility between Moldova and the EU. Over 2.4 million citizens of Moldova travelled more than 9 million times to the EU in the eight years since the visa liberalization.

We urge you to support Moldova in identifying the legal solution for the discrepancy in its Association Agreement/DCFTA, conclude a bilateral agreement, and thus include Moldova in the discussions on abolishing roaming costs with Ukraine and integrating it into the EU Single Market.

This way we will maintain the unity among the European states and stand up to the futile attempts of tyranny to divide us.

Yours sincerely,
Members of the European Parliament: