The European Union (EU) Commission recommended on Friday that Ukraine should join the 27-nation bloc.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (centre) and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi (second right) shake hands as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (left), French President Emmanuel Macron (second left) and Romanian President Klaus Iohannes in Kyiv, Ukraine . (Photo: AP/PTI)
The working members of the European Union (EU) on Friday recommended Ukraine to become an official member of the 27-nation bloc. Ukraine applied to join the European Union on February 24, just four days after Russian troops entered the country.
The EU recommendation comes a day after four EU leaders – Germany, France, Italy and Romania – visited Kyiv and vowed to support Ukraine’s candidacy. The recommendation will be discussed by the leaders of EU countries at a summit in Brussels next week. Unanimous approval from all EU members is required to start the candidacy process.
The commission also recommended Ukraine’s neighbor Moldova to join the European Union.
“Ukraine has clearly demonstrated the country’s aspiration and determination to live up to European values and standards,” said Ursula von der Leyen, head of the EU’s executive commission, according to a Reuters report. She was speaking at a meeting of the College of Commissioners at the EU headquarters in Brussels on Friday.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky took to Twitter to thank EU members, saying it was “the first step on an EU membership path that will certainly bring our victory closer.”
i appreciate the positive @EU_Commission Conclusion on the position of the candidate. This is the first step on the EU membership path that will certainly bring our victory closer. Grateful @vonderleyen and for each EC member a landmark decision. I hope positive result from this #uco next week.
— (@ZelenskyyUa) June 17, 2022
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What does this mean for Ukraine?
Ukraine’s accession to the European Union will play an important role in ending the ongoing war with Russia. Its membership can help Ukraine militarily, as EU members are bound by a mutual defense clause that requires other members to help a country if it is “the victim of an armed invasion of its territory”. Is.
The top priority for the EU will be to provide practical assistance to Ukraine to counter the Russian aggression as long-term issues can take years to be discussed.
Access to the bloc will also benefit Ukraine’s economy and bring additional benefits, such as free movement throughout the European Union and the various rights granted to EU citizens.
The bloc had previously shied away from membership discussions with Ukraine so as not to “oppose” Moscow. However, since Russia declared war on Ukraine, this stance has backfired.