Negotiations for EU enlargement

The Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Bosnia-Herzegovina are one step closer to joining the EU

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Leyla Cheamil, 09.11.2023, 13:50

On Wednesday the European Commission recommended the launch of EU accession negotiations with Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Bosnia-Herzegovina, and the granting of candidate status to Georgia, once the latter meets certain conditions.

The president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said this enlargement of the bloc was „the call of history.” „Completing our Union also has a strong economic and geopolitical logic. Past enlargements have shown the enormous benefits both for the accession countries and the EU. We all win,” Ursula von der Leyen pointed out.

In turn, the president of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola voiced her satisfaction with these countries being on the right path towards opening accession negotiations. The Commissions recommendation must next be approved by the 27 members at the EU Summit of December 14-15.

In the meantime, the countries will have to implement some key measures in this respect. As far as Chișinău is concerned, these conditions concern fighting corruption and improving financial regulations. Moldova has made the best progress of the countries that wish to join the European Union, the Commission says, but out of the 9 steps towards launching accession negotiations, the justice reform, fight against corruption and de-oligarchisation still remain unfulfilled. The Commission mentions the length of judicial proceedings, low clearance rates and the large backlog of cases. Also, there has been no significant progress in the prosecution of high-profile corruption cases.

This is why the Commission urged Chișinău to ensure a transparent and merit-based process for appointments to the main judicial and prosecutorial governance bodies, including for the appointment of a Prosecutor General, and ensure that anti-corruption institutions are functioning within a clear organisational structure and with adequate resources.

The president of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, hailed the Commissions decision to open accession negotiations. „Moldova is firmly on the path for EU membership and we will continue working relentlessly towards this goal,ˮ Maia Sandu said.

As for Ukraine, the Commission recommends that negotiations be opened once Kyiv meets the remaining conditions concerning the fight against corruption, the regulation of lobby activities and strengthening minority protection standards. The recommendation is a major milestone on Kyivs path towards European integration, and a strategic move for the European bloc, given that Ukraine has been struggling with Russias military invasion since February 2022. The European Commission finds that the country has proved to be capable of progress in harmonising its laws with the EU legislation, even in times of war. (AMP)