Welcoming Remarks

Nov 6, 2025 Vienna

Your Excellencies, distinguished speakers, esteemed colleagues.

A warm welcome to Vienna, especially to those who have traveled to be with us, and a special welcome back to those who have joined our previous dialogues.

We are gathered today for a conversation that is not merely timely, but essential: not only for the future of Moldova, but for the future of European security and democracy itself.

This dialogue is built on a fundamental truth: that being a citizen is a full-time job.

Democracy isn’t just about voting every four years; it is shaped every single day.

It is shaped by the investigative journalist who exposes a lie, by the civil society leader who empowers a community, by the diaspora members who refuses to be a bystander in their home country’s destiny.

Today, you will meet the people who are doing that full-time job.

My name is Veronica Cretu. While my professional life is dedicated to the intersection of technology and good governance, I stand before you today first and foremost as a citizen of Moldova and a member of the diaspora here in Austria.

It is in this capacity, on behalf of the Moldova4EU Diaspora Task Force, that I have the honor of opening this crucial dialogue: Moldova Defends Democracy: How Moldova protected its 2025 elections despite €350 million in interference

This dialogue is also testament to the power of partnerships, and I must extend my deepest gratitude to those who made it possible.

Our foremost thanks go to the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs of Austria. Your generous support has been the cornerstone of this event, providing not only this magnificent venue but also enabling our media experts to travel from Moldova. Mr. Ehrmann, we are deeply grateful for your trust and partnership.

I also want to acknowledge our steadfast partners. To the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum and to you, Alexandra Sabou, your early belief in our work back in 2023, when we hosted for the first time a Moldovan Vienna Dialogue gave us the inspiration to continue. Here we are with our 3rd edition.

And to the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Moldova and Natalia Corobca-Ianusevici, our collaboration, born just weeks before a critical election in September this year, has been instrumental in bringing vital local expertise from Moldova to this dialogue, again, thank you.

Finally, to our distinguished speakers—thank you for your commitment to travel here and share your invaluable frontline experiences. You are the heart of this conversation today.

The story of Moldova’s resilience is not a single narrative: it is a mosaic of courage, strategy, and collaboration.

And today, we have the privilege of hearing from the very people who represent each piece of that mosaic.

· We will gain a high-level perspective from the diplomatic frontlines, with insights from Mr. Moritz Ehrmann of the Austrian Foreign Ministry;

· Moldova’s own Ambassador to Austria, Her Excellency Victoria Roșa;

· and our esteemed keynote speaker, former U.S. Ambassador to Moldova, the Honorable Pamela Hyde Smith.

· We will dive into the data and the institutional framework with Alexandra Sabou of the EaP Civil Society Forum, who will unpack the numbers behind our progress,

· and we will explore the synergy between policy and partnership in a fireside chat with Natalia Corobca-Ianusevici of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and Vadim Pistrinciuc of the Institute for Public Policy.

· We will then take you to the trenches of the information war, with the courageous journalists who are defending our democracy in real-time: Mariuța Nistor from Ziarul de Gardă, who went undercover to expose Russian troll farms, and Mihail Sirkeli, who leads an independent media voice in the vulnerable region of Gagauzia.

· And finally, we will look to the future, building on the key lessons with Victor Guzun of IPRE and a fomer Moldovan Ambassador to Estonia, and my dear colleague Natalia Cucoș and I will discuss the strategic role of the diaspora in this ongoing fight.

Each of these voices represents a critical pillar of Moldova’s democratic defense. Together, they will tell the story of how a nation, united and determined, can stand against even the most pervasive threats posted by the criminal regime in moscow.

So, who brings us here today? We are the Moldova4EU Diaspora Task Force. We are not a government body, nor a traditional NGO. We are a global network of highly skilled Moldovan diaspora, professionals, united by a single, non-negotiable commitment: to secure our homeland’s democratic and European future. We serve as a bridge, channeling critical expertise back to Moldova’s institutions and, just as importantly, amplifying Moldova’s story of progress and resilience here in Europe. Our mission is to ensure that by 2028 or 2030 latest, Moldova has every tool it needs to become a full member of the European Union. This dialogue is a vital part of that mission.

For years, the narrative surrounding Moldova has been one of vulnerability: a small nation caught between geopolitical plates, a country that always asked for support.

Today, we are here to shift that narrative. We are here to reiterate that Moldova is a valuable source of expertise—a frontline state that has successfully defended its democracy against an unprecedented interference.

And in order to understand the significance of this achievement, we must appreciate the context of Moldova's accelerated journey towards the European Union.

In March 2022, in the shadow of Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine, Moldova formally applied for EU membership. By June 2022, we were granted candidate status. And in June 2024, accession negotiations were officially opened. Just this past September, we successfully completed the comprehensive screening process, a testament to our nation's unwavering commitment. Our goal is clear and ambitious: to be ready for EU accession by the end of this decade.

The stakes of this fight could not be higher. As President Maia Sandu stated just two days ago in Brussels, during the Euronews EU Enlargement Summit, this is not merely about policy. In her words, Moldova wants to 'continue to be a democratic country; it wants to be part of the free world.' And this is not just a noble aspiration; it is a story of remarkable, measurable achievement under fire. That fight has forged an unprecedented resolve. As the EU's own Enlargement Commissioner, Marta Kos, affirmed on Tuesday, Moldova has progressed on its accession path 'with accelerated speed' despite continuous hybrid threats. She said: 'Moldova has made the biggest one-year progress from all the candidates.' And the conclusions of the European Commission's Annual Enlargement Report show that Moldova has met the necessary conditions for opening three negotiation clusters, namely: 'accession fundamentals', 'external relations', and 'internal market.' While President Maia Sandu called for the European Union to open all negotiation clusters with Moldova by the end of the year.

But this remarkable progress did not happen in a peaceful vacuum. It happened while our nation was under a relentless, sophisticated, well-funded hybrid assault.

So, let’s be clear about what Moldova faced over the last two years. The Kremlin allocated an estimated €350 million to subvert our democratic process: a sum designed not just to influence, but to overwhelm a nation's sovereign will.

This money fueled a multi-front war:

•A war on truth, with vast disinformation networks designed to poison our public discourse.

•A war on integrity, with vote-buying schemes targeting our most vulnerable citizens.

•And a war on our stability, with paid operatives trained to provoke violence and fear.

For every one of these attacks, the Moldovan people delivered a clear and resounding verdict.

When they waged a war on truth, our citizens answered by enshrining our European future in the Constitution with a decisive referendum victory.

When they waged a war on integrity, our citizens answered by re-electing a pro-European president with a powerful 55% mandate.

And when they waged a war on our stability, our citizens answered by delivering a stable, pro-European governing majority in our Parliament.

This was a direct assault on the very heart of our democracy. And yet, we stand here today not as a victim, but as a testament to a nation's resolve. We are here to understand the complex, multi-layered strategy: from institutional resolve to journalistic courage to diaspora engagement, that allowed a nation to stand firm. We are here to build a blueprint for democratic resilience, not just for Moldova, but for all of us!

Thank you, and I look forward to a day of insightful and productive discussion.