MEPs Urge Member States to Take Advantage of Expanding EU by Granting Membership to Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia
According to a press release issued by the European Parliament, during the plenary debate with the French Presidency and Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, almost all speakers called for the EU to grant the status to the Ukraine and Moldova, as well as Georgia, with some of the representatives reminding Georgians the path wouldn’t be short for them as the reform is necessary, AtoZSerwisPlus.com reports.
This reform is required in order for Georgians to fulfil the accession criteria or Copenhagen criteria which required stability of institutions, the rule of law, human rights and respecting minorities. The Copenhagen criteria also include the economic and administrative criteria, which require a functioning market economy and the ability of the country to take on the obligations of membership.
Moreover, during the debate, many speakers said that a credible EU protects its values, such as the countries’ European aspirations, which should be a priority for the Union, implying granting EU membership to Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia. Some MEPs even called for more military and economic assistance for Ukraine, as the country is fighting for its life with Russia.
Regarding the Western Balkans, the MEPs had to say supportive words for the region, too, also noting that North Macedonia and Albanian need to be treated fairly, while some others called for a clear accession path for Bosnia and Herzegovina and the remaining urged for granting a candidate status for all the countries in the region.
“North Macedonia has been a country for 17 years and has been waiting for 13 years for negotiations. And it has made a significant sacrifice for the European dream. Do we really think this is normal? Moreover, Albania, which has been a candidate since 2014, has been waiting for four years to begin the negotiations,” Iratxe Garcia Peres, from the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, said.
Directed to the Member States, she also said they are damaging Europe’s image by not keeping their word, thus not granting the status to these countries, who have been waiting for a long time to join the Union.
During the same plenary session, some members of the Parliament took the chance to call on other issues, such as the Greek representative, Maria Spyraki, from Nea Demokratia, who reminded MEPs that ‘Turkey is ready to violate with the Russian law.’