European security areas in the context of regional cooperation

The article presents a comprehensive analysis of the approach to bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the security sector after the most recent events in the region. The way the European Union responded to the war in Ukraine on February 24, 2022 confirmed its existence as an intentional security actor. By passing ten packages of sanctions against Russia, hosting more than 4 million Ukrainian refugees and associated humanitarian aid, funding the delivery of arms to Ukraine by its member states, and responding to the energy crisis, the European Union has played its part in the Western response to the war in Europe. Regional cooperation, after the systemic transformation in Central Europe and 20 years after most of the countries in the region joined the European Union, has become one of the most important tools for them to lead international politics. It plays a subsidiary role in the pursuit of national interests to these countries' membership in the EU and NATO, which these countries consider, along with bilateral alliances with the United States, to be the cornerstones of their own security policies. From the perspective of the Republic of Moldova, accelerating the implementation of reforms, developing and strengthening institutional capacities, as well as capitalizing on partnerships and other regional cooperation instruments are essential to advance in the process of joining the European Union.