Moldova and Georgia Join Ukraine in Seeking EU Membership

(Bloomberg) -- Moldova and Georgia are asking the European Union to begin membership talks, joining a bid earlier this week by Ukraine, as the war started by Russia threatens regional stability and leads to unprecedented refugee flows.

The requests to begin the official procedure, which can last more than a decade, were signed on Thursday by President Maia Sandu of Moldova and by Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili of Georgia.

The moves could antagonize Vladimir Putin as the eastern nations push to align themselves more with Europe and the western alliance. Before invading Ukraine, the Russian president blamed the U.S. and its allies for the west's encroachment on Moscow's sphere of influence.

“Moldova must have a clear European path and we're ready to do everything it takes to fulfill this fundamental goal,” Sandu told reporters. “This is a clear opportunity to ensure a safer and better life for future generations.”

Georgia is waiting to receive the status of a candidate from Brussels, said Garibashvili, whose government has faced daily protests and criticism for not joining the global sanctions against Russia. Moldova won't apply the penalties either, seeking to remain neutral in the conflict, according to the country's foreign minister.

Summit Discussion

Leaders of the bloc will discuss enlargement at a summit in Paris next week, according to an EU official, who added that member states are divided on the topic and that the process is highly complex.

Ukraine, along with Georgia and Moldova, already has association and free-trade agreements with the EU, involving strong political ties and economic integration. The EU has started the process of assessing Ukraine's application, which can take as long as 18 months, according to the official.

“There is no doubt that these brave people who defend our values with their lives belong in the European family,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who oversees the bloc's executive body, told reporters on a visit to Bucharest in reference to Ukraine.

The process set in motion by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who formally put in a bid on Monday, “will be discussed with the member states.” She added: “Right now our focus is ending this horrible war and of course before this tragedy started we already had very strong economic ties with Ukraine.”

Croatia was the last country to join the bloc and its application process lasted 10 years before it was formally accepted in 2013.

Accession requires the candidate country to adopt established EU law as well as to enact reforms -- including to its judicial and economic systems -- to meet the bloc's criteria.

More than 30 policy areas are examined and negotiated to make sure the nation is prepared to join -- and moving on to the next so-called chapter requires the consent of all 27 member states.