Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu discussed regional security issues and the prospect of Moldova's accession to the EU with Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares Bueno. 

Popescu visited Madrid upon his Spanish counterpart's invitation. It is noteworthy that Spain will be the EU Council's president in the second half of 2023.

He said that the visit is important for bilateral relations and the process of European integration for Moldova. The officials discussed the "European future" of Moldova and regional security, according to Popescu.

Popescu reported to his Spanish counterpart on the progress of Chisinau in the context of fulfilling the conditions set by the European Commission to be able to start accession talks, the foreign minister added at a press conference in Madrid.

Earlier, the Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister stressed that his country expects to fulfill all necessary reforms for European integration by 2030. He added that the process of becoming a full-fledged member of the EU, which includes accession to the eurozone and Schengen, will take Moldova 20-30 years.

The EU heads of state and government at the summit in Brussels on June 23 last year granted the status of EU accession candidates to Ukraine and Moldova. Moldova hosted in October 2022 the first meeting of the Commission on European Integration, which discussed the need for reforms in various areas and called for the creation of 35 working groups to modify local legislation in line with European standards. 

In December last year, Moldovans were almost equally divided over the country's possible accession to the European Union, as some believe Moldova will join the bloc, while others deny this possibility, according to a recent survey by social and political science research company Intellect group.

According to the poll, around 45.9% of respondents believe Moldova could become part of the EU in the future, with 27.2% thinking it "will probably happen," and 18.7% that "it will definitely happen."

Around 47.2% of respondents do not believe in EU integration, the poll showed, specifying that 16.5% categorically denied such a possibility.