Ukraine and Moldova belong in the European family

The Renew Europe Group in the European Parliament welcomes today’s recommendation by the European Commission to open EU accession negotiations with Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova and urges European leaders to follow these guidelines during their December summit.

Both countries made considerable efforts and managed to achieve progress in implementing the necessary reforms despite Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine and its impact in the region.

Renew Europe MEP, Petras Auštrevičius (Lithuanian Liberal Movement), shadow rapporteur on Ukraine, said Kyiv is taking the necessary steps to meet the remaining conditions, as highlighted in the EC’s progress report:

“This is another significant and historic moment for Ukraine and its brave people, who continue to pursue their dream of EU membership and comprehensive political, legal and economic reforms despite the brutal crimes of the Russian terrorist regime. Our shared dream and goal is to bring Ukraine into the EU. As we continue our strong support for Ukraine, let us not forget that the EU itself must prepare for future enlargement, and this task must be undertaken without delay.”

MEP Dragoş Tudorache (REPER, Romania), Renew Europe Group’s Vice-Chair and the European Parliament’s rapporteur on Moldova, added:

“Today’s decision is not only political but also merit based, given the Republic of Moldova’s significant efforts to implement much-needed reforms in key sectors. The road ahead is still long, but today’s decision is an important step in the right direction for a country whose citizens have stated quite clearly that their future is in the EU.”