Thu 23 June 2022:
The European Union has approved the application of Ukraine to become a candidate country for admission to the 27-strong bloc. EU leaders meeting in Brussels have followed the recommendation of the European Commission, which was made on Friday 17 June.
The move comes just one day short of the four-month anniversary of President Putin ordering his troops into Ukraine for what Russia has insisted is not a war, but a “special military operation”.
The accession process to the EU can be lengthy. Until today the official list of candidate countries included Albania, the Republic of North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey. Turkey gained candidate status in 1999, the Republic of North Macedonia in 2005.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen tweeted on Thursday, “Today is a good day for Europe.”
Today is a good day for Europe.
Congratulations to President @ZelenskyyUA President @Sandumaiamd and Prime Minister @GharibashviliGe
Your countries are part of our European family.
And today’s historic decision by Leaders confirms that. pic.twitter.com/lAkv8Bq5fs
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) June 23, 2022
Moldova become official candidates for EU membership
According to Charles Michel, president of the European Council, Moldova has now been approved as a candidate for membership in the European Union alongside Ukraine.
“Agreement. #EUCO has just decided EU candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova. A historic moment”, Michel said in a tweet referring to the European Council of EU leaders (EUCO).
War-torn Ukraine and close neighbour Moldova have lobbied for months to start the long process of joining the 27-member bloc.
EU accession, a politically fraught and legally complex process, can drag on for years or even decades.
Being an official candidate for membership is the first step of many in joining the EU and gives access to financial support for social, legal and economic reforms intended to bring the aspiring country closer to EU standards.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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