European Union leaders should allow formal talks on Ukraine and Moldova’s accession to the bloc to start once both countries have finalised the necessary reforms, the European Commission has said.
“In light of the results achieved by Ukraine and Moldova, and of the ongoing reform efforts, the Commission has recommended that the Council opens accession negotiations with both countries,” the Commission announced.
A long-awaited progress report on candidate countries’ membership bids published Wednesday confirms Ukraine has met four of the seven pre-conditions for opening negotiations, with some work still to be done on anti-corruption, de-oligarchisation, and the rights of minorities.
Moldova also needs to finalise judicial reforms and introduce further anti-graft measures.
Upon the Commission’s recommendation, EU leaders could back the opening of accession talks during the next European Council summit on December 12, a decision which requires the unanimous blessing of all 27 member states.
“Enlargement is a vital policy for the European Union. Completing our Union is the call of history, the natural horizon of our Union,” Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said.
“Past enlargements have shown the enormous benefits both for the accession countries and the EU. We all win,” she added.
Speaking to Euronews shortly before its release, Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration, said the report was an “important assessment” and that the country was planning to announce its next steps in response to the recommendations later on Wednesday.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the country’s president, had earlier described the Commission’s conclusion as “historic.”
“The EU represents economic security and social stability for Ukraine, and Ukraine represents the strengthening of the entire EU community,” Zelenskyy said, calling on the Rada to press ahead with the necessary legislative reforms.
This is the first time the EU executive has green-lighted negotiations on accession before a country has fully met all of the pre-conditions. Russia’s war has injected a sense of urgency into what is traditionally a sluggish process before a country can become a fully-fledged EU member.
The Commission said on Wednesday technical work could start “immediately” once EU leaders back talks, and that it stands ready to report on Ukraine and Moldova’s progress in meeting the pending criteria by March next year.
Von der Leyen also stressed that the process remains merit-based and that no “fixed date” for full membership can be given.
Both Ukraine and Moldova were granted official EU candidate status in June last year, just weeks after Russia rolled its tanks into the country, reviving EU enlargement from its long state of dormancy.
Leaders recognise that the bloc’s geopolitical relevance hinges on the integration of its eastern flank, with Germany’s top diplomat Annalena Baerbock saying last week that the whole European continent would become more “vulnerable” if the EU does not enlarge.
The European Commission on Wednesday also recommended upgrading Georgia to the status of official EU candidate country, seventeen months after it was named a ‘potential candidate’.
The Commission stands ready to back accession talks for Bosnia and Herzegovina – the only of the five Western Balkan candidate countries not yet in official talks – “once the necessary degree of compliance is achieved,” von der Leyen said.
