The European Commission recommended on Friday 17 June that Ukraine and Moldova be granted candidate status for EU membership. However, the Commission says that both countries will need to make a number of reforms before they can make further progress on the European path.
Georgia, on the other hand, has to be satisfied with the granting of a “European perspective” and will have to make further efforts to be recommended for candidate status by the Commission.
“We have adopted these opinions after very carefully assessing the merits of each of these applications on the basis of the Copenhagen criteria and the Madrid criteria (which) concern the political criteria, the economic criteria, and the question whether the country has the capacity to thrive in our very competitive Internal Market”, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the media.
Ukraine applied on 28 February, Moldova and Georgia on 3 March. The three countries then quickly responded to the questionnaires sent by the Commission. The Commission based its opinions in particular on the responses received.
Ukraine. “We all know that Ukrainians are ready to die for the European perspective. We want them to live with us the European dream”, stressed Mrs von der Leyen, dressed in blue and yellow, the colours of the Ukrainian flag.
According to the Commission, “Ukraine, before the war, was already on its way to the EU. For 8 years now, it has been gradually moving closer to our Union”.
While, according to the Commission, Ukraine is a “vital parliamentary-presidential democracy”, with a “strong macro-economic record, demonstrating a noteworthy resilience - with macro-economic and financial stability ensured also after Russia’s invasion in February 2022” - and has implemented 70% of the Community acquis through the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement. However, progress will need to be made in seven areas.
The Commission recommends granting the status “on the understanding” that specific measures are taken in the areas of justice, the fight against corruption and money laundering, the implementation of the anti-oligarch law, law enforcement in Ukraine’s security environment, the media, and the reform of the legal framework for minorities.
See the Opinion: https://aeur.eu/f/273
Moldova. “Moldova has taken a decisive step towards reforms, with a clear mandate from its citizens. It is on a real pro-reform, anti-corruption and European path for the first time since independence”, Mrs von der Leyen stressed, while acknowledging that the country’s economy and public administration needed “major improvements”. According to the Commission President, “provided that the country’s leaders stay on course, we believe that the country has the potential to live up to the requirements”.
As with Ukraine, the Commission highlights the need for progress in eight areas this time. Efforts need to be made in the overall reform of the judiciary, including in the shortcomings identified by the Council of Europe, in the fight against corruption and organised crime, in ‘de-oligarchisation’, in the capacity to implement reforms and to provide quality public services, in strengthening civil society participation, and in protecting human rights.
See the Opinion: https://aeur.eu/f/274
Georgia. Finally, Tbilisi has to settle for a recommendation to grant the ‘European perspective’. The Commission will “come back and assess how Georgia meets a number of conditions before granting it candidate status”, said Mrs von der Leyen.
While the country “has strengths, in particular the market orientation of its economy, with a strong private sector”, the President said it needed to “come together politically to design a clear path towards structural reform and the EU”.
The country has to take action in eleven areas. This includes tackling political polarisation, ensuring the full functioning of all State institutions, working on the reform of the judiciary, strengthening the fight against corruption, organised crime, and the de-oligarchisation of the country. The measures also cover the media, the protection of the human rights of vulnerable groups, gender equality and the fight against violence against women, the participation of civil society, and the appointment of a new ombudsman.
See the Opinion: https://aeur.eu/f/275
The Commission has announced that it will report by the end of the year on the progress made by each of the three countries in implementing the measures requested.
The three countries express satisfaction
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his Moldovan counterpart Maia Sandu welcomed the Commission’s announcements.
For the former, this recommendation, which he described as a “historic decision”, is “the first step on the road to EU membership which will certainly bring our victory closer”.
This is “a strong signal of support for Moldova and its citizens!”, said the latter, promising that her country would work hard on the measures requested by the Commission.
The two leaders hoped that the European Council would also give a positive signal by granting candidate status to their countries at the Summit on 23-24 June.
Although his country did not receive a recommendation for status, Georgian Ambassador to the EU Vato Makharoblishvili called the Commission’s opinion “another historic step towards Georgia’s EU integration”. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)