European Parliament resolution on strengthening Moldova's resilience against Russian hybrid threats and malign interference

- having regard to its previous resolutions on Moldova,

- having regard to the European Council conclusions of 26 June 2025,

- having regard to Regulation 2025/535 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 March 2025 establishing the Reform and Growth Facility for the Republic of Moldova[1],

- having regard to the Joint Declaration following the Republic of Moldova - EU Summit held on 4 July 2025,

- having regard to Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 October 2022 on a Single Market For Digital Services and amending Directive 2000/31/EC (Digital Services Act)[2],

- having regard to Rule 136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas Russia continues its efforts to destabilise the EU and its neighbourhood, in particular Moldova, in an attempt to push it off its democratic European course; whereas these efforts include coordinated campaigns targeting the Moldovan information space with the aim of eroding public trust in Moldova's democratic institutions, along with consistent attempts to influence, subvert and undermine democratic elections in order to secure the results that Russia desires;

B. whereas the EU provides comprehensive support to help ensure Moldova's resilience in the face of Russian hybrid threats and malign interference, such as the European Peace Facility and the EU Partnership Mission (EUPM) in Moldova; whereas on 20 May 2025 the Council of the European Union extended the mandate of the EUPM in Moldova to 31 May 2027;

C. whereas in June 2025 the Commission and the Moldovan authorities conducted a stress test on potential digital hybrid threats to election integrity ahead of Moldova's parliamentary elections, in line with the Digital Services Act; whereas the EU support package for Moldova of June 2023 aimed, among other things, to counter foreign information manipulation and interference, including disinformation, and enhance strategic communication by providing technical support to the Moldovan Government and building capacity for independent media, civil society and young people;

D. whereas the first Republic of Moldova - EU Summit was held on 4 July 2025; whereas in the accompanying joint declaration the Commission committed to providing Moldova with relevant instruments of support to help strengthen the resilience of its institutions to foreign information manipulation and interference, and to hybrid threats, including the EUPM, the Hybrid Rapid Response Teams, Cyber Rapid Response Teams, and assistance for strategic communication and cybersecurity;

E. whereas on 15 July 2025 the Commission announced the establishment of a new regional hub of the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) to support Ukraine and Moldova in fighting disinformation;

F. whereas on 15 July 2025, the Commission also introduced restrictive measures against seven individuals and three entities responsible for actions aimed at destabilising, undermining or threatening Moldova's sovereignty, independence and stability, as well as democracy and the rule of law within the country;

G. whereas on 27 August 2025, the leaders of France, Poland and Germany held a joint press conference with President Maia Sandu in Chișinău, confirming the EU's support for Moldova's path towards EU membership;

H. whereas Moldova's civil society plays a crucial role in fighting disinformation; whereas ahead of the 2024 elections, a temporary escalation mechanism involving major online platforms and civil society was implemented, enabling civil society to bring time-sensitive content that could pose a threat to the integrity of the electoral process in Moldova to the attention of online platforms; whereas Moldovan civil society has been seriously impacted by US funding cuts, in particular by the dismantling of the US Agency for International Development;

I. whereas on 15 June 2025 protesters participating in a Pride march held in Chișinău were harassed by demonstrators encouraged by the pro-Russian Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova; whereas the pro-Russian media twisted the measured response of the Moldovan police and falsely framed local pro-LGBTIQ+ activities as Western interference against the 'national' or 'Christian' values that Russia claims to defend; whereas the exploitation of homophobia is a well-established pro-Kremlin disinformation technique, as much of the misinformation related to the LGBTIQ+ community in Moldova is propagated through media sources coming from Russia;

J. whereas in a nationwide constitutional referendum held on 20 October 2024 Moldovan citizens voted in favour of amending the constitution to express their wish to strive for EU membership;

1. Stands in solidarity with the Republic of Moldova and reiterates its unwavering support for its sovereignty; condemns, in this regard, Russia's hybrid aggression that aims to destabilise Moldova and push it off its democratic course, be it through cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, sponsoring of pro-Russian political entities, inciting and exploiting fear of war, weaponising energy, supporting organised crime or violating Moldova's airspace;

2. Strongly condemns the persistent and increasing hybrid threats posed by Russia with the aim of undermining democratic elections in Moldova, including information manipulation and interference; demands that Russia abandon its efforts to undermine Moldova's democracy, and that it respect Moldova's sovereignty and the outcomes of free, fair and independent elections;

3. Welcomes the Commission's July 2025 announcement on sanctions against those involved in foreign interference activities aiming to destabilise Moldova's democratic institutions; stresses that, for these sanctions to be sufficiently impactful, cooperation among like-minded states is essential;

4. Urges the Commission and the Member States to continue to assist Moldova in improving its resilience to Russian hybrid attacks, including in the areas of defence, cybersecurity and strategic communication;

5. Welcomes, in this regard, the Commission's announcement of a new regional EDMO hub to support Ukraine and Moldova in fighting disinformation; urges all major online platforms, in particular Meta, Google, TikTok, Microsoft and Rakuten, to engage with the new EDMO hub and to closely cooperate with Moldova's civil society, as was the case during Moldova's 2024 elections;

6. Requests that the Commission report on the results of the EU support package for Moldova of June 2023, particularly the stated aim of countering foreign information manipulation and interference, and building capacity for independent media, civil society and young people; requests, likewise, a report on the implementation of the objective, stated in Article 3(2)c of the Reform and Growth Facility for Moldova, to fight disinformation, hybrid threats, and foreign information manipulation and interference by Russia against Moldova's sovereignty, democratic processes and institutions;

7. Calls for the EU and its Member States to ensure continued support for Moldova and its people in addressing the challenges facing the country as a consequence of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, including inflation, threats to its energy supplies, violations of its airspace, as well as a multitude of hybrid actions such as disinformation and cyberattacks;

8. Welcomes multilateral efforts to support Moldova's democratisation, including the United Nations Development Programme flagship programme on electoral support and strengthening democratic resilience in Moldova, to improve the oversight of political financing, parties and election campaigns, to strengthen and make electoral institutions more resilient to cyber and disinformation challenges, and to boost civic engagement;

9. Calls on the Commission to push forward with multilateral cooperation with like-minded partners, such as the United Kingdom, Norway and Canada, to replace the funds for Moldova's independent media, in particular the investigative media, recently withdrawn by the United States;

10. Condemns Russia for using homophobic narratives to attack Moldovan citizens' human rights and to spread disinformation about the EU; is deeply concerned about Russia's extensive campaign of exploiting homophobia and calls on the Commission and the Member States to also invest in Moldovan society's resilience in this regard by supporting local LGBTIQ+ organisations and advocating for equality for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity;

11. Calls on Moldova to align its legislation with the EU Digital Markets Act[3] and Digital Services Act without delay; calls on the Commission to provide Moldova with dedicated support in this regard;

12. Calls on the Commission to respond to the urgency felt in Moldova with regard to accelerating the country's accession process to ensure that its democratic aspirations are achieved; demands that the Hungarian Government cease its feigned opposition to the start of the first clusters of EU accession negotiations with Ukraine, to allow Moldova and Ukraine to continue progressing along the path towards EU membership; calls on the Commission and the other Member States to swiftly intensify their engagement with the Hungarian authorities to this end;