UPDATE - EU Commission recommends candidate status for Ukraine, Moldova

UPDATES WITH EU COMMISSION’S RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MOLDOVA, GEORGIA; REVISES HEADLINE, DECK, LEDE; ADDS MORE DETAILS

By Agnes Szucs

BRUSSELS (AA) - The European Commission on Friday recommended candidate status for Ukraine and Moldova.

Ukraine has to commit to delivering on rule of law, anti-corruption, and judicial reform, but the approval is meant to give a symbolic gesture confirming their European perspective in the face of the Russian threat.

At a news conference, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “Ukraine has already taken important steps along the path to become a fully functioning EU economy” and it has “a robust parliamentary presidential democracy,” functioning administration, and vivid civil society.

"Ukraine deserves European perspective, it should be welcome as candidate country, but important work remains to be done," von der Leyen added.

“Ukrainians are ready to die for the European perspective, we want them to live with us,” she stressed.

The EU executive body also recommends “European perspective” and candidate status for Moldova “on the understanding that steps are taken in a number of areas,” a European Union Commission statement said.

For Georgia, the commission recommended that the country be given the perspective to become a member of the European Union. “It should be granted candidate status once a number of priorities have been addressed,” the statement said.

Based on the EU Commission’s recommendation, it is up to member states to decide unanimously whether to start the accession process.

EU leaders will discuss the candidate status at their summit on 23-24 June.

Following the positive signals that leaders of the bloc’s three biggest countries – Germany, France, and Italy – voiced during their visit to Kyiv on Thursday, it is highly possible that Ukraine will get the green light.

However, it might even take a decade to become a full member of the bloc.

Only four days after Russia launched its war on Ukraine on Feb. 24., Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy officially signed his country’s request to join the EU.

Inspired by Ukraine’s request, Georgia and Moldova also presented their EU membership applications on March 3.

The European Commission delivered its assessment of EU candidacy at an unprecedented speed because of the war in Ukraine.