Romanian Lower House Approves Draft Law on Unification with Moldova

The lower house of Romania’s parliament has approved a draft law that paves the way for unification between Romania and Moldova. According to Romanian media, the initiative was adopted under the so-called silent approval procedure: since it was neither examined nor rejected within 45 days in a plenary session, it was automatically considered approved.

The document states that the Romanian parliament decides on unification with the Republic of Moldova and authorizes the government to immediately start negotiations with authorities in Chișinău to finalize the union. The bill will now be submitted to the upper house, the Senate.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu publicly expressed support for unification in January. In an interview with a British podcast, she said she would vote for unification with Romania in a referendum. Sandu has repeatedly accused Moscow of attempting to interfere in Moldova’s internal politics, noting that as a small country, it is becoming increasingly difficult for Moldova to survive as a democracy and a sovereign state while confronting Russia.

In recent years, support for unification with Romania has grown in Moldova, largely due to Russia’s war against Ukraine. A March poll shows that about 42% of Moldovans support the idea, while 47% oppose it. In Romania, around 72% of citizens are ready to vote for unification.

More than one-third of Moldova’s approximately 2.4 million people also hold Romanian citizenship. Romania is Moldova’s most important trading partner and has helped it break free from energy dependence on Russia by connecting to European energy grids.