Unot symbolic step, but necessary. The European Commission recommends granting Ukraine the status of candidate to the European Union, announced Friday, June 17 the President of the European Executive, Ursula von der Leyen, during a press conference. This opinion will be discussed at the European summit on June 23 and 24, and the leaders of the 27 EU countries will have to give the green light unanimously. Furthermore, Brussels says it is in favor of recognizing the status of candidate for membership for Moldova.
“The Commission recommends to the Council, firstly, to give Ukraine a European perspective and, secondly, to grant it candidate status. This, of course, provided that the country carries out a number of important reforms,” the official said. “We all know that Ukrainians are ready to die to defend their European aspirations. We want them to live with us, for the European dream,” added Ursula von der Leyen.
A “historic decision”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the European Commission’s “historic decision”. “Grateful to Ursula von der Leyen and to every member of the European Commission for a historic decision,” Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Twitter. For him, who “expects a positive result” at this European summit, “this is the first step on the road to EU membership, which will (also) certainly bring us closer to victory” against Russia.
I commend the positive @EU_Commission Conclusion on ����’s candidate status. It’s the 1st step on the EU membership path that’ll certainly bring our Victory closer. Grateful to @vonderleyen & each EC member for a historic decision. I expect the positive result from #EUCO next week.
– Volodymyr Zelenskyy (@ZelenskyyUa) June 17, 2022
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Ukraine is “ready” to work
This opinion will be discussed at the European summit on June 23-24 and the leaders of the 27 EU countries will have to give the green light unanimously. Never has an opinion been given in such a short time on a request for candidacy, an emergency due to the war waged by Russia for more than three months and which is part of the support given by Europeans to Ukraine facing Moscow.
Paris, Berlin and Rome voted for the “immediate” granting to Ukraine of this official candidate status on Thursday, during a visit to kyiv by French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the head of government Italian Mario Draghi, joined by the Romanian President. Ukraine is “ready” to work to become a “full member” of the Union, assured them Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
At the same time, the European Commission recommends granting Moldova the status of candidate to the European Union, on the condition of carrying out “important reforms”, announced Ursula von der Leyen. “Provided the country’s leaders stay the course” on economic reforms and the fight against corruption, “we believe the country has the potential to live up to the demands” of a candidacy, she said during of a press conference. This opinion will be discussed at the European summit on June 23-24 and the leaders of the 27 EU countries will have to give the green light unanimously.
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