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The European Council approved granting EU candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova.
The Council announced the approval on Thursday, hours after the European Parliament voted to request that the Council pass the candidate status to the country. This status will allow Ukraine and Moldova to begin taking critical steps to be accepted into the European Union.
“A historic moment,” tweeted Council President Charles Michel. “Today marks a crucial step on your path towards the EU. Congratulations [Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky] and [Moldovan president Maia Sandu] and the people of Ukraine. Our future is together.”
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Earlier Thursday, the European Parliament voted near unanimously in favor of the candidate status.
“With 529 votes to 45 and 14 abstentions, Parliament adopted on Thursday a resolution calling on the Heads of State or Government — who hold their summit today and tomorrow — to grant EU candidate status to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova ‘without delay,'” the Parliament’s MEPs said in a press release.
The Parliament also advocated for EU leaders to do the same for the country of Georgia “once its government has delivered” particular promises required for admission. These promises include addressing the country’s political polarization, guaranteeing full functioning for all the country’s institutions, and adopting a transparent judicial reform strategy.
“Ukrainians, Moldovans, and Georgians deserve to live in free, democratic, and prosperous countries that are proud and committed members of the European family,” the MEPs stated during the vote, “urging the European Council to take an important first step towards fulfilling the legitimate aspirations of the citizens of these three countries.”
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Ukrainian officials were delighted with the development. “Once again, European Parliament demonstrates its unwavering support for Ukraine’s EU aspirations. Thank you, Roberta Metsola, for adopting the relevant symbolic resolution today. Ukraine is a European country. And this right not only on the battlefield but also in the legal sphere,” said Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada Chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk in a Facebook post.
This vote arrived days after the European Commission ruled in favor of Ukraine’s and Moldova’s candidate status on the condition that it improve its judicial system and establish anti-corruption bodies, among other governmental reforms.
