The European Commission has proposed to the European Union’s (EU) leaders to grant candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova.
“The Commission recommends to the Council that Ukraine is given European perspective and a candidate status,” EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated during a press conference on Friday.
“Yes, Ukraine should be welcomed as a candidate country – this is based on the understanding that good work has been done but important work also remains to be done,” she added.
The Commission has proposed granting the candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova immediately, but the two countries will be asked to implement reforms.
Lithuania’s European Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius told BNS on Friday that those were “not conditions” but the EC has “gentlemanly trust” that the countries will implement them.
The Commission also assessed Georgia’s application for candidate status but decided to postpone its recommendation until the country meets certain preconditions.
Recognising Ukraine and Moldova as EU candidate countries ultimately requires the unanimous approval of the 27 heads of state and government on the European Council, who are expected to take up the question at a summit meeting in Brussels next week.
Previously, Western countries, including Germany and France, sounded sceptical about fast-tracking Ukraine’s accession to the bloc and said that it might require several decades for the country to implement all the necessary changes.
Nonetheless, the leaders of France, Germany and Italy stated they were in favour of Ukraine receiving immediate official status of an EU candidate as they paid a visit to Kyiv on Thursday.
However, some EU countries still believe that Ukraine’s membership bid would not even be considered if not for the war unleashed by Russia. Critics note that prior to the Russian invasion, Kyiv was criticised for being too slow to implement reforms, in particular those pertaining to anti-corruption.
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