EU set to receive membership bids from Georgia, Moldova: EU official
The European Union is about to receive membership applications from Georgia and Moldova, an EU official said on Thursday.
The official said the applications were due "imminently".
The two eastern European countries are already part of EU outreach programs but a membership request would be a major development in their relations with the 27-nation bloc, reports Daily Mail.
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Any membership application and consideration is a process that would take many years and involve fundamental political adjustments, ranging from trade, to rule of law measures and anti-corruption commitments.
The bid from Georgia and Moldova comes after the European Parliament backed Ukraine's bid to apply for EU membership.
The ruling Georgian Dream party chairman, Irakli Kobakhidze, announced the party's decision 'to immediately apply for the EU membership'.
Georgia called on the EU 'to review our application in an urgent manner and to make the decision to grant Georgia the status of an EU membership candidate,' he told a press conference.
Both Georgia and Ukraine have signed association agreements with the EU 'on economic integration and political approximation,' and free trade, which give no guarantee for an eventual membership.
