The European Commission has endorsed Ukraine’s bid to be given candidacy status to join the EU
Ukraine inched closer to European Union membership on Thursday after the European Commission endorsed the embattled country’s bid to be given candidacy status to join the EU.
Leaders of the EU’s 27 member nations unanimously voted in favor of Ukraine’s bid for candidacy status. That membership process, however, is not imminent and could take years – or even decades.
The geopolitical move, which was lauded by both Kyiv and Brussels, is believed to be triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February and is expected to pull the war-torn country further away from Moscow’s influence and bind it more closely to the West.
Zelenskyy grateful to EU leaders
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked EU leaders for granting Ukraine “a candidate status” and declared: “Ukraine’s future is within the EU.”
EU’s unusually rapid decision
Ukraine had applied for the EU membership in February, less than a week after Russia Moscow invaded Kyiv, on Feb. 24. EU’s decision on Ukraine’s request for candidacy was unusually fast, considering the union’s go-slow approach to expansion. But the war and Ukraine’s request for fast-track consideration lent urgency to the country’s cause.
By becoming an EU candidate, a country does not get the automatic right to join the EU bloc or any immediate security guarantees. However, once a country becomes a member of the European Union, it is covered under an EU treaty clause that says if a member falls victim to armed aggression the other EU member countries are bound to help it by all the means in their power.
EU membership requirements
To become a member of European Union, countries must meet a list of economic and political conditions, with commitment to the rule of law and other democratic principles being at the top. To get the membership, Ukraine would have to curtail entrenched government corruption and adopt other reforms, as required by the EU.
Ukraine not the first Soviet state to get EU candidacy
Ukraine is the second Soviet state to get EU candidate status. Earlier, the EU gave candidate status to the tiny country of Moldova, which also borders Ukraine.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also lauded the decision, as he said, “Today is a good day for Europe,” on Twitter.