The National Trade Union Confederation of of Moldova (CNSM) supports and appreciates the official start of accession negotiations of the Republic of Moldova to the European Union, which started on June 25, 2024, in Luxembourg, within the framework of the Intergovernmental Conference Republic of Moldova – EU, aimed at coordinating the policies of the Republic of Moldova and the EU to improve the living standards of Moldovan citizens.

According to Igor Zubcu, President of the CNSM, during the meeting of the National Commission for Consultations and Collective Bargaining on January 26, 2024, at the initiative of the CNSM, the social partners signed the Declaration on Supporting the European Integration Course of the Republic of Moldova.

The social partners emphasized the commitment to actively support the course of European integration of the Republic of Moldova; full involvement in ensuring rapid and effective intercommunication; active cooperation and constructive participation in the processes of transposition of European legislation into the national regulatory framework; development of social dialogue at all levels with a view to effective implementation of the national regulatory framework transposing European legislation.

“We want European integration not only to have a political connotation, but to be an integration of the social triangle – government, trade unions and employers. A strong involvement of trade unions is very necessary to improve the situation on the labor market and strengthen social dialogue at all levels. In the immediate period ahead, we intend not only to transpose but also to implement the EU Directive 2022/2024 on adequate minimum wages in the EU, so that the minimum wage is 50% of the average wage in the economy. Decent minimum wages that cover the needs of employees and their families are imperative and their increase remains on the agenda of the social partners of the Republic of Moldova”, emphasized Igor Zubcu.

At the same time, with reference to the start of negotiations on Moldova’s accession to the European Union, the CNSM reiterates that it is very important that trade unions are also involved in the decision-making process, so that workers’ rights to decent work are ensured. It also calls for not allowing excessive flexibilization and liberalization of labor legislation to the detriment of employees’ rights, and sets the stages for reviewing the minimum wage in the period 2025-2027  to ensure the transposition of EU Directive No. 2022/2041 on adequate minimum wages in the European Union.

We note that the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) issued a statement on Tuesday, June 25, 2024, calling for the European Union’s social and labor standards to be fully respected in the accession negotiations of Ukraine, Moldova and Montenegro. ETUC mentions that  the right lessons must be learned from the social and economic challenges that have arisen during previous accession processes.

In this context, Tea Jarc, ETUC Confederal Secretary, said: “Trade unions want the accession of Ukraine, Moldova and Montenegro to be a success for workers in these countries themselves, as well as for those in the existing EU Member States. This means that EU social and labor standards must be fully respected in the accession negotiations, with no partial access to the single market until the countries have reached the necessary standards.”

“Coming from the Western Balkans, I know that this will require trade unions to be involved in the accession process in a meaningful way. Not just on paper as in the past. In particular, trade unions must have a role in deciding how EU funds dedicated to facilitating the accession process should be spent. This would be an important first step towards normalizing the system of social dialogue between trade unions, employers and policy makers, which is fundamental to the EU economy. We cannot take accession decisions solely on the basis of the degree of alignment of countries with the EU’s foreign and security policies if we expect the process to be an economic or social success”, Tea Jarc emphasized.

We recall that in October 2022 the CNSM became a member of the European Trade Union Confederation – the main trade union organization representing workers at the European level, as part of the efforts of the Moldovan trade union movement to achieve the social and labor standards necessary for a successful accession to the European Union.