German Foreign Minister Analena Berbock said that the prospect of EU enlargement is real and explained that Ukraine, Moldova and Western Balkan countries will become members of the EU. Berbock repeated the same for Georgia, but added that it is a longer-term prospect.
“We have clearly said that Ukraine, Moldova, Western Balkan countries, and in the long term Georgia will also become EU members. I don’t know if anyone could have thought of that even five years ago. But it also means that we must take bold steps to ensure that the EU of the future, with more than 30 members, becomes a strong union capable of action,” Berbock said.
Georgia applied for EU membership on March 3, 2022, after which the Georgian government received the questionnaire from the European Commission. The ruling Georgian Dream party handed the completed questionnaire to Brussels in May.
On June 17, 2022, the European Commission prepared an opinion on granting EU candidate status to Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova. As a result, Ukraine and Moldova received it and had to fulfill certain obligations, while Georgia must first fulfill the 12-point plan prescribed by the European Commission and then will get a chance for candidate status.
On June 22, 2023, it became known that Georgia had fully implemented three of the 12 recommendations. This was stated in the interim report, which assessed the extent to which Georgia has implemented the prescribed plan.
The report was presented to the foreign ministers of the EU member states at a meeting in Stockholm on June 22. Prior to that, on June 21, the European Commission presented the report to EU ambassadors in Brussels.
As for Moldova, whose progress was also assessed together with Georgia, Moldova now has nine recommendations to be implemented and three fully implemented (democratic reforms, dialog with civil society and protection of human rights).
Ukraine has now fully implemented two of the seven recommendations on judicial reform and media legislation.
