On October 1, 2025, IVO President Grigorij Mesežnikov participated in a roundtable discussion organized in Râșcova (Moldova) by the Vienna-based Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe (IDM) as part of the project “Central Europe and Future EU Enlargement”. The discussion focused on the challenges of EU enlargement for Moldova and Ukraine. It was attended by representatives of think tanks from Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Serbia, Ukraine and Moldova, as well as by international experts dealing with EU enlargement issues in Brussels (via online broadcast). 

The participants of the event discussed the study Lessons from the Western Balkans for a Better Rebuilding of Post-War Ukraine”, prepared by experts from the Association for International Affairs (AMO, Prague). 



The following panel, which was attended by the president of IVO, focused on EU enlargement strategies taking into account the interests, current state of reform processes and expectations of both the acceding countries, as well as the ideas and interests of the EU and its individual member states. The subject of the discussion was the concept of “gradual integration“, allowing candidate countries to benefit from some of the benefits of membership even before its formal achievement. 

The next panel dealt with the instruments of pre-accession assistance for candidate countries, in particular the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) from the perspective of effectiveness in supporting reforms. 

The third panel dealt with the role of Central Europe in supporting Moldova and Ukraine. The participants of the discussion pointed out the specific tasks and activities of a wide range of social actors in Central European countries – state institutions, political parties, non-governmental organizations, and experts. 

The event took place on the day of the official announcement of the results of the Moldovan parliamentary elections, in which the pro-European and pro-reform Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) won. Representatives of the partner organizations noted in this regard a high probability of successful progress of Moldova on the path of EU integration. 

The project “Central Europe and Further EU Enlargement” is supported by the International Visegrad Fund (IVF).