Moldova marks its national holiday on Wednesday, August 27, commemorating the country's declaration of independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. At the initiative of President Maia Sandu, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk are paying an official visit to Chisinau for the occasion. In the evening, the four leaders are scheduled to deliver a joint address on the main square of the National Assembly.

According to the Elysée, the visit is intended to send an unequivocal message of support for "the independence, territorial sovereignty, European trajectory and ongoing reforms" of this country of 2.4 million people, which borders Romania and Ukraine. The visit comes one month before the September 28 parliamentary elections, in which 101 MPs will be elected for four-year terms.

In July 2021, Sandu's Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS), with Sandu then six months into her presidency, won a majority of 63 seats after a campaign focused on fighting corruption and reforming the justice system. Four years later, the geopolitical context has shifted dramatically, with PAS now primarily positioning itself as an anti-Kremlin, pro-Ukraine party advocating for Moldova's integration into the European Union (EU) – the country has been an EU candidate since 2022. Moldovan voters endorsed this path in fall 2024, re-electing Sandu and voting in favor of EU membership in a referendum.

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