The effects of a short, bloody civil war in Moldova some 30 years ago are still being felt today – and are proving a potential stumbling block for the country’s EU accession plans, despite EU assurances to the contrary.
Over the summer, European officials assured Moldova, now an EU candidate, that it could join the bloc – even though Transnistria, a separatist region in the east of the country where Russian troops are located, remains outside of its control.
With this move, EU leaders appeared to signal to Moscow that territorial conflicts in eastern Europe will not become an obstacle to EU expansion.
