The Republic of Moldova finds itself at the center of a diplomatic storm after denying entry to 17 foreign political figures and activists invited to the international conference “Make Europe Great Again” (MEGA), held in Chișinău on July 27–28, 2025. The event, organized by European conservative groups, aimed to discuss the future of Europe and defend national sovereignty amid growing political polarization across the continent.
Moldovan authorities justified the bans citing “threats to public order and national security,” but failed to provide detailed explanations. Among those affected were: Ondřej Dostál, a Czech Member of the European Parliament, who was declared persona non grata and immediately expelled—his diplomatic passport was confiscated and only returned after he arrived in Bucharest; Brian Brown, a conservative American activist and supporter of Donald Trump, who was detained for 14 hours at Chișinău Airport and granted entry only after pressure from the U.S. embassy; and Dimos Thanasoulas, a member of the Greek NIKI party, who was denied entry without any official explanation.
The incident sparked strong protests from the event organizers, European conservative parties involved (particularly the ECR group and Romania’s AUR party), and various political figures, including in neighboring Romania. Moldovan President Maia Sandu and her PAS party were accused of suppressing pluralism and imposing a single way of thinking ahead of the September 2025 parliamentary elections. In an official statement, the organizers called the government’s actions a “deliberate act of political censorship,” an attack on freedom of expression, and a violation of international diplomatic norms. They demanded official explanations from the European Parliament and the European Commission, urging EU institutions to assess the democratic implications for Moldova’s accession process.
MEP Dostál described the government’s behaviour as “a blatant contradiction” of EU democratic principles and called on Brussels to seriously consider whether such practices are compatible with Moldova’s candidate status. Brian Brown likewise condemned the incident as incompatible with the democratic and open values Europe is supposed to uphold.
Meanwhile, several Romanian political figures expressed outrage, labeling the PAS party’s actions as “authoritarian” and accusing Chișinău of using political control mechanisms to silence dissent rather than promoting the democratic pluralism required for EU integration.
In Moldova, while the country continues to present itself internationally as a reliable partner committed to European integration, internally there are growing signs of a worrying authoritarian drift. The government, increasingly consolidating power and tightening control over institutions, risks undermining the fragile democratic balance that in recent years had offered glimpses of renewal and openness. The centralization of decision-making in the hands of the executive, along with the increasing marginalization of dissenting voices, is eroding spaces for political and civic debate, reducing the possibility of open and pluralistic discourse.
The opposition is denouncing the steady erosion of parliamentary and judicial prerogatives, while journalists and activists report mounting pressure, intimidation, and a creeping but pervasive form of censorship. This is compounded by a growing use of legislative and regulatory tools to restrict the activities of non-governmental organizations, especially those working to defend human and civil rights, whose operational space is rapidly shrinking.
The MEGA conference incident risks setting a troubling precedent for relations between Brussels and Chișinău. The Moldovan government’s actions will now be closely scrutinized, particularly in light of the EU’s political accession criteria, which include the protection of fundamental freedoms, tolerance, and openness to pluralistic political debate.
