Charles Michel (President of the EU Council) announced this evening around 20:30 that the EU Council had agreed to award Ukraine and Moldova the status of candidate to join the EU.
Michel also announced that the Council had decided as well to “recognize the European perspective of Georgia and is ready to grant candidate status once the outstanding priorities are addressed”. The President of the Council qualified these decisisons as historical for the EU and these countries during later during the press confernece.
Also at the press conference held after the EU Council had adopted these decissions Emmanuel Macron (President of France, the EU member country currently holding the rotating Presidency of the EU Council) unveiled that the Council is discussing on freeing the path to negotiate the accession for Albania and North Macedonia.
On the decission to open the door to discuss the path to earn the candidate status with Macedonia, Albania and other European countries along the frontier with Russia and Turkey, Emmanuel Macron said that it will take years till these countries join the EU but that it’s time to act quickly and it is a political matter more than a geo-political matter to stabilise the Balkans region. To have an stable neigborhood in Europe. “May be we are not living in the same house, but we are living in the same neighborhood”, Macron explained and there’s much room for collaboration before these countries are able to become members of the EU.
Charles Michel also informed that there’s a strong interest among the EU members to activate again the accession negotiations with Bosnia Herzegovina.
“There’s a lot of homework ahead” but the decission taken today strenthens us all, von der Leyen pointed
“I warmly congratulate President Zelenskyy, President Sandu and President Zourabichvili. All three countries are part of our European family, we have never left any doubt about that. And today’s historic decision by Leaders confirms that.
It grants all three the perspective of EU accession and it lays down the path ahead. I think that this is a moment of great satisfaction. I am very pleased with the Leaders’ endorsement of our opinions. There can be no better sign of hope for the citizens of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia in these troubled times.
Of course, the countries all have homework to do before moving to the next stage of the accession process. But I am convinced that they will all move as swiftly as possible and work as hard as possible to implement the necessary reforms. Not just because they are required to move ahead on the European accession path, but first and foremost because these reforms are good for the countries, good for the democracy, because it strengthens the competitiveness of all three countries, and ultimately they are good for the citizens.
Let me stress that I am deeply convinced that the decision that we have taken today strengthens us all. It strengthens Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia, in the face of Russian aggression. And it strengthens the European Union. Because it shows once again to the world that the European Union is united and strong in the face of external threats,” Ursula von der Leyen (President of the Eu Commission underscored during the press conference).
Image over the headline.- Roundtable with President Zelenskyy during the EU Council on 23th June 2022. Photo, European Union.
Related external links:
Charles Michel (President EU Council) tweets:
Press conference following the European Council’s decision on the EU membership applications of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia:
Press statement by Charles Michel (President of the EU Council) -video-
Press statement by Ursula von der Leyen 8President of the EU Commission) -video-
Answers to the questions risen by the press -video-
Related Eastwind links:
Zelenskyy pushes again towards the EU candidate status for Ukraine
Emmanuel Macron proposes a new European organisation for cooperation with no need for EU membership
