In this event, Minister Thomas Byrne and Minister Cristina Gherasimov will discuss Enlargement and Moldova’s journey towards EU membership. The Ministers’ keynotes will be followed by a panel discussion with experts to discuss Moldova’s key reform priorities and the challenges shaping the accession process.

Thomas Byrne is a Fianna Fáil TD and solicitor. In January 2025, Thomas was appointed Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach and the Department of Foreign Affairs with special responsibility for European Affairs and at the Department of Defence. He previously served as Minister of State for at the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (Sport and Physical Education). He has served as a member of Dáil Éireann from 2007 to 2011, and subsequently since 2016, during which period he held the position of opposition front bench spokesperson for Education and Skills.

Cristina Gherasimov has served as Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration of the Republic of Moldova and Chief Negotiator with the European Union since February 2024, leading the country's accession negotiations and coordinating the government's European integration agenda. Before her appointment she was Secretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration and, earlier, Adviser on Foreign Policy and European Integration to the President of Moldova, acting as Sherpa for the European Political Community Summit, the UN General Assembly and the Moldova Support Platform conferences. Earlier in her career she taught at Rutgers University and held research and programme management positions at Chatham House, Transparency International Defence and Security, and the German Council on Foreign Relations. She holds a PhD in political science from Rutgers University.

Panellists to be announced.