The countries of the European Union (EU) have agreed to start the long process of examining the membership applications of Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova, announced the French presidency of the Council of the EU.
With this agreement, the member countries will now invite the European Commission to submit an opinion on each of the applications submitted by these countries, in order to decide whether to grant them candidate status.
“A historic night at Versailles. After five hours of heated discussions EU leaders said yes to Ukrainian eurointegration. The process started. Now it is up to us and Ukrainians to accomplish it fast. Heroic Ukrainian nation deserves to know that they are welcome in EU”, President of the Republic of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausda, wrote on Twitter.
A historic night at Versailles. After five hours of heated discussions EU leaders said yes to Ukrainian eurointegration. The process started. Now it is up to us and Ukrainians to accomplish it fast. Heroic Ukrainian nation deserves to know that they are welcome in EU.
— Gitanas Nausėda (@GitanasNauseda) March 11, 2022
What does Ukraine’s accession mean?
Thus, the European Commission will have to rule on each request separately, in the first step of a long and complex process that in its final chapter requires the vote of the 27 states of the bloc.
Ukraine, which is facing an invasion by Russia, requested its immediate accession, through what it called a “special procedure”, although such a mechanism is not foreseen in EU rules.
EU leaders are meeting for an informal summit in Versailles (France) on Thursday, March 10 and Friday, March 11.
At the end of February, at the height of the Russian invasion of the territory of Ukraine, Vladimir Zelensky signed an official application for Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
According to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, “entry into the EU is not something that could be done in a few months” as it requires profound transformation processes, but in this case it has been done.
Vladimir Putin’s greatest fear has come true.
