10:30 21.06.2022

European Council President writes to EU leaders that he will invite them to grant EU candidate status to Ukraine

2 min read
European Council President writes to EU leaders that he will invite them to grant EU candidate status to Ukraine

President of the European Council Charles Michel will invite the heads of state and government of the European Union member states to grant the status of EU candidate members to Ukraine and Moldova at the upcoming summit to be held June 23-24 in Brussels.

This is discussed in Michel's invitation letter to EU leaders. "Now is the time to acknowledge that the future of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia lies within the EU. I will invite you to grant candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova. In parallel, we will continue to provide Ukraine with strong humanitarian, military, economic and financial support," according to a letter, the text of which was distributed on Monday in Brussels.

Michel stated that with the resumption of war in Europe, the leaders took unprecedented actions, demonstrating the EU geopolitical influence.

"We now need to take further steps to strengthen our continent's security and stability. This will be the main focus of our European Council meeting on 23-24 June," the President of the European Council outlined the agenda.

He also pointed to the importance of the Western Balkans for the EU. "We must therefore re-energise the enlargement process and advance the integration of our Western Balkan partners. We will meet them before our formal European Council," Michel stated.

"Peace, security and prosperity in a rules-based international order are values the EU shares with other European partners. The idea of a European political community has been presented to foster political dialogue and cooperation. We will engage in a strategic discussion on how to reinforce our relations to address issues of common interest," he said.

"The consequences of the war are being felt far beyond our region. Russia is weaponising food supplies, stealing grain, blocking ports and turning Ukrainian farmlands into battlefields. This affects many countries, especially in Africa, risking famine and political and social instability. Building on our efforts to help Ukraine export its grain, we will discuss further measures to tackle these issues," the President of the European Council said.

He mentioned the banking union and the union of capital markets as other issues on the agenda.

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