Expansion step in the EU… ‘Let the accession negotiations begin’

The European Union (EU) Commission recommended starting full membership negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova and granting candidate country status to Georgia.

The “Enlargement Package 2023” was shared, which includes the EU Commission’s assessment reports on Turkey and the Western Balkans, including Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia. with the audience.

In reports emphasizing that EU membership is based on merit, it was stated that Ukraine and Moldova have recently made significant progress in reforms towards the EU, and that full membership negotiations can begin with these two countries, and It was recommended that the EU Council, made up of EU countries, take a decision on this issue.

The Commission also recommended that the EU Council adopt the negotiating framework once these two countries have made progress in all necessary areas.

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, stated at the press conference on the issue: “Our neighbors have chosen which direction to take. “The Western Balkans, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine have clearly determined in which direction they will move,” she said. Stating that the end of negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova depends on the speed of reforms and that the process is based on merit, von der Leyen stated that negotiations can begin immediately after the political decision of EU leaders , and that the EU Commission may prepare a status report in March 2024.

Asked how long the accession process would take, Von der Leyen said: “If you look at the accession time of the current member countries, you will see that it varies. “This period depends on the activities of the countries and the speed of reforms,” ​​he said.

Recalling that Ukraine continues its process towards the EU while continuing its war with Russia, von der Leyen said that Ukraine has made progress in 90 percent of the areas determined last year, especially judicial reform and the fight against corruption, and that the remaining reforms are in process. shape. (AA)