European Council grants status of EU candidate country to Ukraine and Moldova

Ukraine and Moldova have been officially granted the status of EU candidate countries, Prime Minister of Luxembourg Xavier Bettel stated on Twitter.

“European Council has granted the status of candidate country to Ukraine and Moldova. Historic moment and a signal of hope for the Ukrainian people,” he wrote.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the European leaders for their support on Twitter, noting that it is “a unique and historic moment” in the relations between Ukraine and the EU.

For his part, President of the European Council Charles Michel stated that the Council is also ready to grant candidate status to Georgia once “the outstanding priorities” are addressed.

Last week, the European Commission officially recommended to grant Ukraine the status of an EU candidate country. Earlier, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated that Moldova might also receive this status together with Ukraine.

Recognising Ukraine as an EU candidate country required unanimous approval of 27 European Council member states.