By Agnes Szucs
BRUSSELS (AA) - The European Commission recommended on Friday candidate status for Ukraine.
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.
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.
The European Commission delivered its assessment of EU candidacy at an unprecedented speed because of the war in Ukraine.