Lower thirds:

00:02 Report by Rosie Birchard
00:39 Maia Sandu | Moldovan president | July 2025
00:58 Rosie Birchard | DW Correspondent | Brussels
01:37 Antonio Costa | EU Council president

Script:

Moldova’s capital Chisinau is covered in the colours of a political dream: To leave behind the country’s soviet past, and join  the west.  

But despite more than 30 years of independence, Moscow’s influence never feels far here. 

Russian troops still patrol a pro-Kremlin breakaway region in Moldova… 

And ahead of elections next month, Moldovan police say they’ve uncovered Russia-linked vote-buying schemes,  

and paid online recruitment for protests against the pro-Western government.  

Moscow denies involvement, but Moldova doesn’t buy it. 

+++SOT Maia Sandu, Moldovan president (July 2025) EN+++ 
We do know that Russia does not want to see Moldova part of the EU family, because Russia does not want to see Moldova strengthening its democracy, its sovereignty."+++ 

+++PTC Rosie (starts on map then wider with Rosie pointing to map in office)+++ 
"Tiny Moldova may seem insignificant on a map, but its position -- sandwiched between wartorn Ukraine on one side, and EU and NATO member Romania on the other -- means this country has become something of a geopolitical battleground between East and West."+++

After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moldova quickly applied to join the European Union. 

And now top European leaders are showing up to lend support to their Moldovan counterpart… 

The bloc is also helping Moldova combat misinformation and boost its defenses. 

But its path to full membership is currently on pause, caught up in an internal EU dispute linked to tensions between Hungary and Ukraine.  

And that’s left EU officials unable to commit to concrete next steps. 

+++Antonio Costa, EU Council president (July 2025) EN+++ 
"We should be very optimistic about the future. Because sooner or later, and I assume sooner (rather) than later, we will open the negotiations."+++ 

Critics say this delay is an own goal for Europe in the battle of narratives: 

Because leaving an aspirant member stuck in the waiting room may only mean more disappointment and frustration... 

Just a few weeks before Moldovans head to the polls.