The present study aims to demonstrate that the European integrationist path of the Republic of Mol-dova is a strategic objective for public authorities and the main political forces, thus becoming a national desideratum that could be embraced by the entire society. The article interprets two defining concepts - Euro-peanization and European integration, concepts necessary for a more adequate understanding of the European integrationist process. Additionally, Europeanization is analyzed as a process realized from both an institu-tional and functionalist perspective. It is concluded that the Republic of Moldova, more than ever, needs a new paradigm of democratic governance for a society on the path of European integration, as well as a new polit-ical elite regenerated through the lens of European standards, which would be capable of promptly responding to social expectations and the new challenges of the European integrationist process.
