The Moldovan Office for Science and Technology (MOST) participated on 19 November 2025 in the roundtable organised by the Science|Business Widening Initiative, dedicated to the fifth freedom in the field of research and innovation – a concept gaining increasing importance within Europe’s efforts to strengthen the European Research Area.
The event brought together representatives from across Europe to examine the evolution of the Widening process over the past two decades, with a focus on the countries that joined the European Union in 2004 and on those currently in the enlargement process. Speakers highlighted how the initial vision of the fifth freedom – introduced by former Commissioner Janez Potočnik and recently revived in the Letta Report – has generated significant progress, while also revealing the limitations of a system that remains uneven.
Participants concluded that Widening is no longer solely about closing gaps, but has become a bidirectional approach aimed at strengthening capacities and enhancing cooperation across the entire Union. Discussions also addressed Europe’s ambitions for the coming years, exploring what a genuine fifth freedom could mean for talent, knowledge and innovation. Structural barriers, policy gaps and fragmented implementation were underscored as key challenges, but so were important opportunities: rethinking governance, deepening collaboration and creating more coherent mechanisms for the circulation of excellence.
During her intervention at the roundtable, the Head of the MOST Office, Doinița Ulinici, emphasised:
“For the Republic of Moldova, the fifth freedom means being fully integrated into the European knowledge area — where our researchers can collaborate fully, and where our innovations contribute to Europe’s future.”