EU leaders grant Moldova and Ukraine candidate status for EU membership.
They made this decision at a summit in Brussels on June 23. "European Council has just decided EU candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova. Today marks a crucial step on your path towards the EU. Congratulations Volodymyr Zelensky and Maia Sandu and the people of Ukraine and. Our future is together!" Charles Michel, President of the European Council, wrote on Twitter. The council also decided to recognize Georgia's European perspective and, according to Michel, "is ready to grant candidate status once the outstanding priorities are addressed. The decision followed the European Commission's June 17 conclusions on all three EU accession applications. "I am very pleased with the Leaders' endorsement of our opinions. There can be no better sign of hope for the citizens of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia in these troubled times. Of course, the countries all have homework to do before moving to the next stage of the accession process. But I am convinced that they will all move as swiftly as possible and work as hard as possible to implement the necessary reforms," European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen told a news conference after the council meeting. She added that the changes needed to join the EU would help the three countries strengthen democracy and their economies and benefit their citizens. "This decision strengthens us all. It strengthens Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia in the face of Russian imperialism and it strengthens the EU because it shows once again to the world that we are united and strong in the face of external threats," von der Leyen said. Thus, there are currently 7 countries which are candidates for EU membership, while Turkey has had the status since 1999. // 24.06.2022 - InfoMarket.
