Ukraine and Moldova have made the strongest steps towards EU membership.
The European Commission is reviewing the assessment of the progress of countries seeking to become EU members on the path to integration. In a new report to be presented on Wednesday, October 30, the EC will assess the progress of the bloc's candidate countries, but candidates have been warned not to expect much from the new report.
This is reported by the Financial Times, citing sources familiar with the contents of the report.
The EU executive regularly reports on the state of negotiations with membership candidates, including Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Turkey and the Western Balkans.
This process began after a referendum in Moldova, marked by Russian interference, and parliamentary elections in Georgia, after which the opposition claimed a number of blatant violations.
The report will highlight progress in Ukraine and Moldova, but will not make formal recommendations on how to advance candidates toward EU membership, the sources said.
“Ironically, the countries that have made the strongest steps toward EU membership have been the most vulnerable to conflict – Moldova and Ukraine,” one of the sources said.
The European Commission has so far refrained from making specific recommendations on the current situation in Georgia. On Monday, October 28, an EU representative called on the authorities in Tbilisi to “promptly, transparently and independently investigate” the election irregularities. At the same time, he stressed that EU member states must choose “a way out of this situation.”
Ministers from 13 member states, including France, Germany and the Netherlands, signed a statement on October 28 stressing that the election irregularities in Georgia were “incompatible with the standards expected of a candidate” for EU membership. They also condemned Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's visit to the country.
As for the Western Balkans, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited the region last week to boost the spirits of the applicants. But with the exception of Albania, which received the green light to begin negotiations earlier this month, and Montenegro, which has made the most progress toward EU membership, there is little progress to be made.
Recall that over 80% of Ukrainians would support Ukraine's accession to the EU and NATO if the relevant referendums were held in the near future. According to the results of a poll by the Razumkov Center, the largest number of supporters of joining NATO and the EU are in western Ukraine, and the smallest in the south.
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