EU agrees to consider membership bids of Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova

The European Union agreed to start examining the membership bids of Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova on Monday as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine stretched into its 12th day.

The French Presidency of the Council of the EU announced on Twitter that its 27 member states “agreed to invite the European Commission to present an opinion on each of the applications for EU membership submitted by Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova.”

The trio of former Soviet states submitted their requests for admittance last week, a process that usually takes years. After the opinion is given, members states have to agree unanimously to allow an applicant to become a “candidate,” and then certain “accession criteria” are considered during the formal membership negotiations.

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That process involves “the adoption of established EU law, preparations to be in a position to properly apply and enforce it and implementation of judicial, administrative, economic and other reforms necessary for the country to meet the conditions for joining,” according to the European Commission.

Georgia’s and Moldova’s applications to the EU piggybacked off of Ukraine’s plea to join the bloc. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked for Ukraine to receive a fast-tracked admittance to the union in light of Russia’s invasion of his country.

“Do prove that you are with us. Do prove that you will not let us go. Do prove that you indeed are Europeans, and then life will conquer death, and light will win over darkness. Glory be to Ukraine,” Zelensky told members of European Parliament last week, according to the New York Post.