President Maia Sandu of Moldova has nominated Vasile Tofan, a senior partner at the investment firm Horizon Capital, as prime minister, tasking him with accelerating the country’s European Union accession process. At a press conference alongside Sandu and the parliamentary speaker, Tofan declared that his government’s principal objective was to sign an EU accession agreement by the end of 2028, a timeline he described as ambitious but realistic. The nomination follows the surprise resignation of Alexandru Munteanu on 3 July, who stepped down after eight months in office, stating he could no longer perform his duties in accordance with his principles.

Munteanu’s departure came amid a series of corruption allegations that have shaken the ruling Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS). According to Moldovan and Russian media reports, an investigative journalistic inquiry alleged that Sandu’s cousin had been hired by a state aviation company at a disproportionately high salary, while the head of the civil aviation safety agency was found to hold a forged university diploma and pilot’s licence. A state secretary in the agriculture ministry was also detained on suspicion of bribery. Munteanu did not explicitly link his resignation to these cases, but opposition figures in Chișinău claimed the scandals made his position untenable. Sandu has denied any personal involvement and thanked Munteanu for initiating difficult reforms.

Tofan, 44, is a Moldovan-born financier who has spent much of his career in Ukraine, the Netherlands and the United States. Horizon Capital, where he is a senior partner, manages over $1.6 billion in assets, primarily in Ukrainian and Moldovan companies. Russian outlets have drawn attention to his Kyiv base and his role in a fund heavily invested in Ukraine, while Moldovan officials stress his co-founding of the civic platform “Europe 2028”, which advocates radical economic and administrative reforms to speed up EU integration. In his first remarks, Tofan outlined three priorities: restoring public trust in state institutions, reviving business optimism, and building a professional government team. He noted that he had declined the premiership in October 2024 but now felt a duty to serve.

EU accession negotiations with Moldova were formally launched in June 2024, alongside those with Ukraine. Brussels has repeatedly cautioned that there is no fast track to membership, and the process requires aligning national legislation with EU norms across 33 chapters. In November 2025, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Moldova could complete the process by 2030. Tofan’s 2028 target therefore represents a significant acceleration, one that analysts in Brussels view as dependent on swift progress in the rule-of-law cluster, which must be opened first and closed last. Under Moldovan law, Tofan now has 15 days to present a government programme and cabinet list to parliament, where the PAS majority is expected to confirm him without difficulty.