European Parliament adopts resolution in support of Ukraine and Moldova EU candidacy bid
European Parliament supports Ukraine and Moldova’s EU candidacy
The European Parliament adopted a resolution supporting the granting of EU candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova, as well as granting this status to Georgia after the country’s government fulfills the requirements set by the European Commission.
The European Parliament calls on the governments of Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia to unanimously express their political will to meet the European ambitions of their peoples and accelerate reforms to meet the EU criteria.
The resolution was supported by 529 MEPs, 45 voted against and 14 abstained.
The Council of Europe will make a final decision in a few hours, but it is unlikely to be different.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell told reporters on the eve of the EU summit in Brussels what his message is to the Georgian people:
“This is a step forward, they should not look at it negatively, they [Georgians] now have a clear path, they have things to do, a schedule. This is an important step forward, keep working on it, you are on the right track”, said Josep Borrell.
The European Commission has prepared a report on the issue of granting the status of an EU candidate to Georgia, Ukraine, and Moldova on June 17. As a result, Ukraine and Moldova will receive the status of candidate members of the EU and will be required to fulfill certain obligations, while Georgia will first be obliged to fulfill the conditions, and then will have a chance to receive the status of a candidate.
A resolution on media freedom violations in Georgia and the safety of journalists was approved by the European Parliament on June 9.
On June 20, an unprecedented large-scale rally was held in front of the parliament building in Tbilisi in support of the European course of Georgia. Thousands of people gathered to demonstrate the loyalty of the Georgian people to Europe and European values.