Moldova will be ready for membership in the European Union by 2030 although Chisinau's goal is "too ambitious," Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean said.

"We should get prepared by 2030 to make Moldova a European country and help all our citizens feel European... The negotiations started today are a complex technical process, the primary objective of which is to coordinate the policies of the Republic of Moldova and the European Union for raising the living standards of our citizens," Recean told reporters on Wednesday when commenting on the outcome of an intergovernmental conference in Luxembourg that launched negotiations on Moldova's accession to the European Union.

Moldova's priority is "higher economic stability and competitiveness," Recean said. "We seek to integrate our economy with the common European market as soon as possible to boost exports for the sake of development and economic growth. We will make efforts towards integration with the common market, which our country's citizens or companies will directly benefit from," he said.

"Intergovernmental conferences, talks on chapters, and discussions between our and European institutions are the norm we have been seeking for a long time," Recean said.

"The goal set by President Maia Sandu for herself - to be prepared to enter the EU by 2030 - may seem too ambitious at first glance... We know that the road is long, but this is the only way for the Republic of Moldova to go," Recean said, adding that Moldovan citizens "have always chosen peace, democracy and freedom."

Moldova's accession to the EU means the emergence of a new member that will "promote peace, security and prosperity in Southeast Europe," he said.

Recean underlined the need for further judiciary reform, on which "both admission to the European Union and the main condition of a fair society in Moldova, where everyone is equal in the eyes of the law, depends."

As reported, the European Council approved the beginning of negotiations on Moldova's admission to the EU in December 2023, and the European Commission submitted the negotiation framework for consideration by the European Council on March 13.

Hungary has repeatedly opposed the beginning of negotiations on Ukraine's admission to the EU. Therefore, the Belgian presidency of the Council of the European Union insisted on holding an intergovernmental conference before the end of June, in order to start negotiations on the accession of Ukraine and Moldova to the EU. Intergovernmental conferences with Ukraine and Moldova took place in Luxembourg on Tuesday.

Hungary takes up the presidency of the Council of the European Union on July 1.