EU Commissioner Hadja Lahbib visits Romania and Moldova for crisis talks

European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib is conducting a visit to Romania and Moldova to discuss crisis management, civil protection, and social inclusion.

In Romania, discussions with officials including acting Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan focused on the country’s significant role in the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. Commissioner Lahbib noted that over the last decade, Romania has requested assistance ten times but has responded to calls for help 49 times. Romania’s contributions include deploying firefighting teams to France, Greece, and Serbia, as well as evacuating over 180 patients from Gaza, Ukraine, and North Macedonia. Additionally, Romania has proposed the Black Sea Resilience Platform to address regional security risks, such as drone incidents.

In Moldova, Commissioner Lahbib met with President Maia Sandu to discuss EU support for crisis management, refugee assistance from Ukraine, and Moldova’s path toward EU accession. The discussions highlighted Moldova’s participation in the EU Civil Protection Mechanism since 2024 and the country’s efforts to strengthen national crisis response systems and combat domestic violence.