Moldova, Georgia expected to ask to join EU amid Russian invasion of Ukraine

By AP 3 March 2022, 1:57 pm

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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, second right, poses with Prime Minister Moldova Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita, left, Ukraine Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, second left, and Georgia Prime Minister, Irakli Garibashvili, right, ahead of a meeting at the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium, November 30, 2021. (Stephanie Lecocq/Pool Photo via AP)

BRUSSELS — A senior European Union official says that in the wake of Ukraine’s formal application this week to join the bloc, bids for entry are also expected “imminently” from Moldova and Georgia.

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.

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 EU officials speaking today asks not to be identified because of the sensitivity of recent geopolitical developments after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.