European Commission: Georgia Must First Meet Certain Conditions Before Granting Candidate Status

Ukraine and Moldova have been nominated for EU candidate status by the European Commission, but Georgia must first meet specific criteria before getting candidate status.

On June 17, the EU executive body, chaired by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, issued its assessment of the three membership applications, a day after four European leaders expressed their support for the action in the face of Russia's unprovoked invasion during a visit to Kyiv.

Never before has a recommendation for European Union candidacy been made so rapidly, which must be approved by all 27 member states.

The recommendation will be discussed at the EU summit next week (June 23-24), where leaders are anticipated to approve Ukraine's candidate status, but with stringent restrictions, and membership might take years, if not decades.

During a visit to Kyiv on June 16, together with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, French President Emmanuel Macron said the four EU members were all in favor of Ukraine receiving "immediate" candidate status.