Moldova and Ukraine receive EU candidate status

As expected by all commentators, EU leaders granted Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova the status of EU candidate countries, while Georgia, which also requested this status, was encouraged to continue reform to be able to one day obtain this status. The participants to the European Council summit in Brussels hailed what they described as a historic day for the Union, which is opening its doors to three more ex-Soviet republics almost two decades after the accession of the Baltic states.

The European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen was keen to emphasise that all three of them are already part of the European family. She also said „there can no better sign of hope for the citizens of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia in these troubled times”, but that they all „have homework to do before moving to the next stage of the accession process”.

A neighbour of Ukraine and Moldova and connected to the latter by a shared language, culture and history, Romania is specifically interested in the success of the reforms of the new EU candidate countries. President Klaus Iohannis emphasised that the governments in Chişinău and Kyiv must get to work as soon as possible and said Romania will give Moldova all the assistance it needs. Klaus Iohannis:

„I think we can say that this step has changed the paradigm of the EU enlargement, with the enlargement policy receiving new impetus. I believe Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia have also been given an impetus and I’m convinced everyone will seriously get down to work to implement the reforms, procedures and projects that are still needed before the next step.”

President Iohannis was the first EU leader to congratulate his Moldovan counterpart Maia Sandu. The president of the European Council Charles Michel posted a Twitter message in Romanian and Ukrainian, saying this is a historic moment and an extremely important step for the two countries’ path to the European Union.

The international media have also reported on a less enthusiastic statement by Albanian prime minister Edi Rama, who advised Ukrainian people not to make many illusions, because the accession process is very long: „North Macedonia is a candidate for 17 years if I have not lost count, Albania since eight, so welcome to Ukraine,” Rama joked on his arrival in Brussels to attend the EU-Western Balkans summit.

(Bogdan Matei, Radio Romania International)