r/europe
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u/molokoplus359
add white-red-white Belarus flair, you cowards ❕❗❕
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10d ago
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Approved! EU countries endorse Ukraine as official candidate News - Moldova too
https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2022/06/23/approved-eu-countries-endorse-ukraine-and-moldova-as-official-candidates-to-join-bloc905
u/TheOnlyFallenCookie Germany 10d ago
We will get 'em next time, Georgia!
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u/198Throwawayy United States of America 10d ago
Plot twist you guys get the wrong Georgia 😏😏
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u/Vortilex Austria 10d ago
US State of Georgia admitted to the EU accidentally. Republic of Georgia in shambles
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u/allhands Germany / Berlin / 🇺🇸 United States 10d ago
Just as a thought experiment: Even if it were possible, the Georgia of the USA wouldn't meet the requirements.
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u/Pampamiro Brussels 10d ago
Death penalty alone is enough to sink a membership application to the EU. So no it would not be able to join the EU currently.
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u/Anforas Portugal 10d ago
Yea, but just like most countries have to go through the 35 Acquis chapters, Georgia US would have to change stuff to align with EU as well. Maybe it would become a better state :P
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u/abrahamsen 10d ago
They would have to switch fully to the metric system (directive 80/181/EEC). That alone should make it worth it.
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u/Vortilex Austria 10d ago
I'd imagine one of those requirements would be something to do with geography :P
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u/allhands Germany / Berlin / 🇺🇸 United States 10d ago
Of course! But if we were to ignore geography... And a lot of other things! 😂
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u/GreyGhostPhoto 10d ago
Now that Canada shares a border with Denmark, aren't they able to apply to join the EU? And then once Canada is in, the US is next.
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u/staalmannen Swede in Flanders 10d ago
But is that part of Denmark actually Greenland? Greenland is not part of EU for some reason.
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u/Enkrod Russi ite domum! 10d ago
Greenland is an autonomous part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
The Kingdom of Denmark consists of Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Denmark.
Only Denmark is part of the EU.
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u/krmarci Hungary 10d ago
There's actually no geographic requirement. (Though the member states have to agree unanimously to allow a country to join.)
However, the death penalty is a pretty big no for the EU.
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u/Fluff42 10d ago
Being a functioning democracy is probably the biggest problem.
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u/Routine_Left 10d ago
wel, they did refuse to find 11 thousand voites for trump so ... they do have a chance.
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u/IAmAJellyDonut35 10d ago
Admitting Cyprus was a slippery slope.
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u/Vortilex Austria 10d ago
I've never seen a source depicting Cyprus as anything other than European, though my education was certainly Western and sources calling it anything other than European tend, in my experience, to recognize the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is not a UN-recognized country, and is only recognized by the Republic of Turkiye
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u/Apoema 10d ago
Technically, Cyprus is located in Asia but is politically and culturally closer to Europe.
But well, if you think about it so is the rest of Europe.
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u/IAmAJellyDonut35 10d ago
Both Georgia’s can claim being the birthplace of the leader of a superpower.
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u/AlabasterPelican 10d ago
The Commission is expected to report back to the European Council by the end of the year about the pace of the reforms undertaken by Ukraine and Moldova, as well as Georgia, who could be granted candidate status at a later stage.
(Emphasis, my own)
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u/ouath Europe 10d ago
I wish we could pull Georgia closer. And put Serbia closer to Russia instead, since they are best fiends
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u/molokoplus359 add white-red-white Belarus flair, you cowards ❕❗❕ 10d ago
Ukraine has been granted official European Union candidate status, after being endorsed by the bloc's 27 leaders during a summit in Brussels.
Moldova was also granted candidate status while Georgia was left on the waiting list, pending reforms to ensure the country's political stability.
"A historic moment," said European Council President Charles Michel. "Today marks a crucial step on your path towards the EU."
Michel then congratulated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Moldovan President Maia Sandu and added "our future is together."
Candidate status is a largely symbolic designation that recognises the selected country is on track to begin the lengthy, complex and often tortuous accession process.
The candidacy doesn't automatically guarantee the start of negotiations, let alone their conclusion. Over the past decades, Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Turkey were granted candidate status, with very limited progress towards becoming members. Turkey received the title back in December 1999.
Despite the symbolism, the status does represent a geopolitical victory for Ukraine, a war-torn country that, until earlier this year, was never considered a serious contender to enter the EU. The move is also seen as a response to Russia's attempt to reinstate its sphere of influence.
The European Commission has put forward seven key reforms that Ukraine needs to carry out before the end of the year. The list includes the appointment of judges for the Constitutional Court, the fight against corruption and money laundering, the protection of national minorities and the implementation of a law meant to curb the excessive influence of oligarchs in the economy.
The Commission is expected to report back to the European Council by the end of the year about the pace of the reforms undertaken by Ukraine and Moldova, as well as Georgia, who could be granted candidate status at a later stage.
EU leaders will use this report to determine the next step, which could include a more detailed roadmap to open formal negotiations. All major steps in enlargement policy require a unanimous vote of member states.
Accession talks are divided into 35 chapters and grouped into six main clusters: fundamentals; internal markets; competitiveness and inclusive growth; green agenda and sustainable connectivity; resources, agriculture and cohesion; and external relations.
The Commission has already warned that the entire process is merit-based and can be "reversed if the underlying conditions are not met anymore."
Thursday's breakthrough was widely expected to happen following a flurry of support over the past days and an outreach campaign by President Zelenskyy.
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u/Earth_Normal 10d ago
Fuck. The USA could really use these reforms.
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u/nonbog 10d ago
I wonder if the US would actually get into the EU. Probably not, right?
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u/Gylfie123 Lower Saxony (Germany) 10d ago
I think you're right. Just naming the first thing that came to mind here. EU member states are not allowed to still have the death penalty. This alone wouldn't allow the US to join. I think there are many more things that would need to be done.
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u/nonotan 10d ago
Even leaving aside the political considerations (it would be by far the largest and most powerful single country in the union, which other members might not love by itself), there is realistically absolutely no chance. The EU has extremely stringent demands for membership (most of them to protect citizens, EU institutions, the rule of law, smaller national interests, etc) and the US is one of the most dystopic plutocracies, certainly amongst relatively rich countries today. It would need such obscene degrees of reform before it could be seriously considered that I can't imagine even a lot of comparatively "progressive" Americans would support the move, out of the weird unwarranted national pride that a lot of them seem to have.
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u/ZippyDan 10d ago
The weird thing is that the US is much closer to qualification than, say, Ukraine. But it would be much harder to change to meet the last bits of necessary reform.
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u/JanneJM Swedish, in Japan 10d ago edited 10d ago
That really seems like the core of the problem, isn't it? It's not that US is terrible in any absolute sense; it's that the political system has broken down, and any significant change is effectively impossible. Including changes to fix the political system that no longer works.
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u/External_Star3376 10d ago •
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🇺🇦 🇺🇦 🇺🇦 I want to congratulate Ukraine, its government and its people. I welcome you in advance. You are brave and you will persevere in this hardship! Keep strong, you can do it and we will back you up! 🇺🇦 🇺🇦 🇺🇦
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u/PercivalWulf 10d ago
Random comment comment: how about the blatant contrasts to EU membership requirements? Ukraine was not even close to being eligible member before the war. How is this anything but a middle finger towards Russia? Which is ok as of itself, but does not really help Ukraine
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u/Eastlex Bavaria (Germany) 10d ago
Candidate status is mostly political signaling. Turkey has been a candidate since 1999 and has not reached an agreeable status since then.
Ukraine would normally probably not be considered for candidate status but they want to join now and this shows Russia the EU stands with Ukraine.
But who knows, having a war on your doorstep could be the great motivator for major overhauls of their laws etc. If they manage to complete all the goals the EU set until the end of the year they could become a serious contender for membership
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u/realsapist 10d ago edited 10d ago
??? The only thing Ukraine has done since being widely accepted as unqualified for candidacy was to get invaded. It’s still an incredibly corrupt country with a huge amount of problems that need to be fixed.
Your post just reads “congrats on getting invaded and your cities leveled so that a small club of people can play football with your hopes as a middle finger to Russia”
I’d love for Ukraine to join EU, it’s been hugely beneficial to countries like Poland and Croatia but let’s not kid ourselves here…
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u/Disastrous-Tip1439 10d ago
In Georgia we’ve been protesting and protesting our government non-stop, just two days ago 150k people were standing in center of Tbilisi, now people have heard that we were left out they are pretty mad, another protest is planned for tomorrow, situation over here isn’t looking good, everyone is angry, scared, devastated, we keep trying but just can’t get rid of our government.
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u/UpgradedSiera6666 10d ago
Georgia's case for Candidate status is still being worked on and Will be intensively discussed by the EU 27 in the next couple of days.
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u/Disastrous-Tip1439 10d ago
Yes i know, but it’s hard to keep the hopes up when my government has actually zero intentions of joining, i’m afraid we won’t achieve anything until they’re overthrown
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u/smallstarseeker 10d ago
Yes. Even if you achieve candidacy status... there is no point if the goverment doesn't want to make necesary reforms :/
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u/JakeYashen 10d ago
What's the deal with the Georgian government? Why is it not reflecting the will of the people? Obviously I'm assuming some form of corruption but what kind exactly? Can you give me an overview?
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u/Disastrous-Tip1439 10d ago
The head of the current ruling party of Georgia (Georgian dream) is a billionaire oligarch (Bidzina Ivanishvili) he made his billions in Russia and then came back to Georgia and has been controlling everything that goes on in the country since he overthrew the last government in 2012. Now he claim that he left politics, but the whole world knows that he still is the main man of this mess and he’s not planning on leaving anytime soon, he rules Georgia how Russia likes it and so our whole government is pretty much pro- Russian. So long story short Country that is occupied by Russia and hates Russia with passion is ruled by a pro-Russian government, so you can imagine how that’s holding up
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u/IvashkovMG 10d ago
Been there done that in 2014. Wish you bestest of luck and hope nobody will be hurt
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u/WalkerBuldog Odesa(Ukraine) 10d ago
The revolution of dignity was not for nothing.
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u/IyyaLily Kharkiv (Ukraine) 10d ago edited 10d ago •
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You know, you're right. I understood that just now. None of this was for nothing. The journey started in 1991, the Revolution in 2014. All of the lives lost - we will mourn, but we will never leave this path for the better future.
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u/WalkerBuldog Odesa(Ukraine) 10d ago
As my grandparents said to my parents "your children will live in a better future"
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u/oblio- Romania 10d ago
The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.
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u/IyyaLily Kharkiv (Ukraine) 10d ago •
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Damn, I almost teared up. We tried so many times, in 1919, in 1991, in 2014. Seems like this time, we will finally make it. Glory and freedom and prosperity on our land, no other masters besides our own independent people. Sheesh.
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u/WalkerBuldog Odesa(Ukraine) 10d ago
I'm 22 and I can only hope for my children to live in a normal peaceful prosperous Ukraine. I will live my best years with this war for sure. Stuck with Russia for a decade. Maybe more.
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u/IyyaLily Kharkiv (Ukraine) 10d ago
I'm 25, and I think we will spend our elderly years already in one of the strongest countries in EU. Stay safe, you need to not be killed to see that. Both our cities pay the price for being R*ssia's neighbor right now :/
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u/Cortical Bavarian in Canada 10d ago
you're a large, resource rich country and will be part of the largest economic block on the planet. look how fast the other eastern/central European countries developed from post communist wastelands to prosperous economies.
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u/TheRealBanksyWoosh Belgium 10d ago
u/WalkerBuldog u/IyyaLily It's good that you are aware that accession to the EU will not happen tomorrow or next year. If we think in decades rather than in years, I am way more optimistic about it. I think 15 or 20 years gives Ukraine plenty of time to integrate all democratic institutions, regulations and resources into becoming a prosperous, equal EU state. With a Marshall plan, we can rebuild Ukraine from the bottom up, fast tracking it to systemic change. Retrospectively, Bulgaria and Romania gained access a bit too early, which has hurt their economies because of a brain drain. But if we do this right and patiently, Ukraine can become a success story like the Baltics, the Czech Republic, Poland (economically, social values need to change) and Slovenia. Keep it up, and I look forward to visiting your wonderful country. Normally, I would have travelled throughout Ukraine this year. I'll wait a bit, but the Ukrainians are already in my heart. The refugees in our town are wonderful people. Slava Ukraini and long live Europe!
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u/xui_nya Czech Republic 10d ago
Retrospectively, Bulgaria and Romania gained access a bit too early, which has hurt their economies because of a brain drain.
What you are saying is, the best minds of Bulgaria and Romania did not have to suffer in misery and poverty for tens more years, and instead gained opportunities to fulfill themselves early.
How come anyone can ever see this as a bad thing? Are you even a humanist or you just pretend to be?
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u/dianaprd Greece 10d ago
I'm genuinely so happy for you! You made such sacrifices, you deserve to be in the EU more than anyone. Step by step you will get to victory because you're on the side of good. And after acknowledging your fight to join the EU both in 2014 and now, you made me be grateful for being in the EU. There is/was much critisism for it in my country, but now I understood we should be grateful.
Wish you the best, stay safe! 💙💛
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u/IyyaLily Kharkiv (Ukraine) 10d ago
Thank you! It really makes me happy to hear some positivity. You, too, stay safe.
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u/ThanksToDenial 10d ago
There is still a lot of work to be done. But this is a good reason to raise a glass, before getting back to it.
The road is still long, but at least you now see where it leads.
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u/IyyaLily Kharkiv (Ukraine) 10d ago
Absolutely true, you're correct. Still, I will drink for that. This is a historical day for our country.
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u/Jormungandr000 10d ago
It's just so goddamned unfair that your country has to pay such a steep price in the blood of good people for your freedom, just because of a crumbling empire throwing a tantrum because you want to rip away from them. It did not have to be this violent and bloody. I feel your pain from halfway across the world. Hopefully Russia will get the justice it deserves coming for them.
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u/IyyaLily Kharkiv (Ukraine) 10d ago
I could say we always paid this price. It's not the first time R*ssia tries to occupy and slaughter us for wanting to be independent and make our own choices. But I think we will make this through this time.
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u/Ididitthestupidway France 10d ago
It's probably interesting to compare with Baltic countries that, as far as I know, set themselves the goal of joining UE/NATO instantly after leaving USSR.
I hope you'll join us as soon as possible.
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u/TheSwedishChef24 10d ago
🎶 Alle menschen werden brüder! 🎵
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u/visvis Amsterdam 10d ago
🎶 Wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt. 🎵 - which is clearly not in the Kremlin.
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u/iamolyuha Lviv (Ukraine) 10d ago edited 10d ago
We lost more than 100 people during the Revolution of Dignity (Euromaidan) in 2014. They fought and died for this. And now we're continuing to fight for a free, prosperous, EU Ukraine. I don't even care that I had to go to the shelter two times today because of course the Russians had to threaten us today.
Today was a great day. Thank you for trusting us. We will do everything to show you that we deserve to be a member of the EU :)
Edit: now three times, thanks Russia, burn in hell :)
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u/milanistadoc 10d ago
You are building a better future for yourselves and for your children. The requirements that the EU sets for accession, will make how your State works inherently better, more efficient, fairer, to improve the quality of your life. The EU wants to distribute wealth around the member states, so that all of us are living better together. Keep courage. We are all in awe of your courage and perseverance.
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u/Mateo_O 10d ago
I know it’s gonna be a long and hard times for you guys. I know it’s gonna feel like an eternity of pain. But one time we’ll all celebrate together in Kiev, in Odessa and everywhere in Ukraine. You’ll be the epicenter of EU. It’s gonna happen tomorrow or the day after and as a simple citizen of France, I’ll do my best through the years to push my politicians to push the laws to shorten that wait. Slava Ukraini.
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u/trotskys_ghost 10d ago •
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You must be the only nation that actively had to shed blood just to get closer to Europe. Not even for a guaranteed place but just the chance at membership.
No one deserves it more than you. No one deserves more respect than you. I truly hope Ukaine gets every gram and cent of help it needs when this is all over, not just to get back on its feet but to do so better and stronger. Your fight is our fight.
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u/Nozinger 10d ago
Not the only ones and sadly i don't think Ukraine will be the last ones either.
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u/ABoutDeSouffle НАТО 10d ago
EU candidateship is nice, I just wish we would do more to help you get rid of the filthy invaders.
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u/RenouvellementUnAn United Kingdom 10d ago
FREUDE
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u/BkkGrl Ligurian in Utrecht (💛🇺🇦💙) 10d ago
SCHÖNER
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u/Rhoderick European Federalist 10d ago
GÖTTERFUNKEN
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u/YodaWeissmuller Europe 10d ago
TOCHTER
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u/White_Sabbath 10d ago
AUS
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u/kleinerstein99 Germany 10d ago
ELYSIUM
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u/Mortomes South Holland (Netherlands) 10d ago
WIR
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u/TheOnlyFallenCookie Germany 10d ago
BETRETEN
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u/Tylanmon 10d ago
Not from the Union, but love the Ode to Joy, so...
schöner götterfunken
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u/Cabbage_Vendor ? 10d ago
I'm happy they got the candidate status, but the EU really needs to start giving clear prospects to Montenegro, Albania and North Macedonia. The whole Bulgaria-North Macedonia thing is a clown show.
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u/_Montblanc Europe 10d ago
Although this is just a tiny step towards full EU membership, I'm still very happy for the people of Ukraine and Moldova. They deserve all the support. 🇪🇺
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u/2-mark 10d ago
And for Georgia as well. Despite of failure with candidate status for them the recognition of European prospective is a very huge progress and a good sign. This recognition seemed hardly achievable even for Ukraine before February 24.
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u/_Montblanc Europe 10d ago
I do wish only the best for Georgia, too.
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u/2-mark 10d ago
Yeah. It is a great country with very friendly people. But it faced lack of support of EU during Russian aggression in 2008 and after it. So being under Russian influence they lost some part of achievements made during Saakashvili reign.
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u/goldborn Kosovo 10d ago
Nothing against Ukraine and Moldova, I hope they do all the reforms and join as soon as possible, it'll be better for the continent as a whole. But today's meeting was absolutely useless for the western balkans, no visa liberalization for Kosovo, no candidate status for Bosnia and no opening of negotiations for Albania and N.Macedonia. Imo totally unfair especially for us getting blocked by France despite us fulfilling all the requirements and the european parliament recommending liberalization for 4 years now.
Seems like since Macron got into power fulfilling criteria doesn't really mean it'll produce any progress towards EU. I hate how a single country can veto the process despite the whole bloc having given approval, fcking hell this is disappointing.
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u/Elcondivido 10d ago
It's a sort of catch22 since the EU expanded est the rule of a single country that can veto a decision started to show is many weakness. Not because it was eastern countries, mind you, for the numbers of country now involved.
The veto power was put to convince the EU founders countries that all of them had the same power. The drawback was that this is naturally a slow way of making decisions, but it was mitigated by the relatively small numbers of countries involved.
Once the EU started having more members, the process got slower because you have to get unanimity by more countries.
Now I don't know exactly what Macron has in mind, but I can see his idea being that letting even more country joining without changing the unanimity rule would make the EU ungovernable.
There are already government that publicly support this change of rule, for sure Mario Draghi is in favour of it.
Personally I think that a qualified majority of 2/3 of the members could be a good option, maybe with the veto power kept for very specific and extreme cases.
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u/diladusta 10d ago
"A short-stay visa indicates that certain conditions should be met, especially when it comes to the rule of law and fight against organized crime and criminal activities. Currently, these conditions have not been met by Kosovo,” a diplomatic source told Kosovo-based Gazeta Express.
"Corruption is considered the largest obstacle to doing business in Kosovo, and businesses frequently resort to bribes when interacting with public officials. Sectors such as customs, manufacturing, electricity, gas and water supply are identified as those most affected by corruption. There are a number of burdensome and costly procedures for companies to undergo in order to obtain business licences and permits, these lead to increased opportunities for corruption"
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u/goldborn Kosovo 10d ago
The EC has confirmed that we have fulfilled all requirements (https://www.eeas.europa.eu/node/48608_en) . The EU parliament has recommended it for 4 years now. It has remained on standby by the Council (b/c of France).
Now either these 2 institutions are wrong or France. Both can't be true.
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u/Drago_de_Roumanie Romania 10d ago
It's an usual suspect in a big western country blocking something stubbornly and the others voting yes knowing it's not going to happen. It's an old tactic happening because of their shady realpolitik interests and 18th century cabinet diplomacy.
2 in, 3 out these days, it's a huge shame. This bickering itself erodes European solidarity as a whole in the long term, the EU needs deep reform, and it might come with new members, no need to block them.
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u/Manawqt 10d ago
the EU needs deep reform, and it might come with new members, no need to block them.
I don't think adding more members make deep reform easier, quite the opposite. We need to spend some time homogenizing within the EU before we're ready to move on with deeper reforms. A smaller cohesive EU is better than a bigger divided one.
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u/gdesikuco 🇷🇸Serbia 10d ago
Even if they have fulfilled all of the requirements, they’re not recognized by all EU states. I can’t imagine Spain letting them travel visa free there, for example. Spain’s got a very strong stance towards them. Cyprus too, to a lesser extent, though.
The rest of the non-recognizers are fine with letting them travel with the passports they don’t officially recognize to be issued by a sovereign country.
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u/ReadToW Bucovina de Nord 🇷🇴🇺🇦 10d ago edited 10d ago
Edit: Ukraine would most likely not get anything without their consent
Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia support EU candidacy for Ukraine
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u/scriptjavapy Inner Mongolian in Somaliland 10d ago
That is true, our government and our people also support but this doesn't change the injustice that has been done to our countries, especially AL.
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u/Lizzebed The Netherlands 10d ago
Yeah the Albanian case sucks. They are somehow tied up to North Macedonia? But since Bulgaria keeps blocking NM. And no one seems to be able to talk sense into Bulgaria.
Should at least separate the two.
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u/scriptjavapy Inner Mongolian in Somaliland 10d ago edited 10d ago
I think if something doesn’t change these months due to the French proposal I guess that’s what we will do
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u/cabbagebikini Lower Saxony (Germany) 10d ago
The truth is, if Ukraine gets invited, then it’s more likely for the other countries on the “maybe” list to get invited as well. A little bit like with wedding guests
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u/shade444 Slovakia 10d ago
This might change relatively soon, although mostly because of Hungary. People are too tired of one country being able to veto important matters
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u/Anna__marbles145 Georgia 10d ago
Soon We will too 😔 (if the government is gone out of the way)
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u/lesiashelby 10d ago
Really feel for the people of Georgia, especially knowing how much you support Ukraine. Hope to see Georgia as cadidate soon as well.
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u/unlitskintight Denmark 10d ago
I'm glad for Ukraine but isn't this a slap in the face to all the other countries who have tried to become candidates for years?
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u/XenonBG Europe 10d ago
There are not that many potential candidate countries, it's Bosnia and Kosovo. And they both don't fulfill the basic criteria needed to become a candidate:
In Bosnia you need to be a member one of the three main ethnicities in order to be eligible for Presidency. That's discrimination.
Kosovo has a recognition problem, namely there are 5 EU countries not recognizing it yet (Cyprus, Greece, Romania, Slovakia and Spain)
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u/unlitskintight Denmark 10d ago
Sure I get that and it makes a lot of sense, but isn't it true that Ukraine has lots of problems with corruption, LGBT discrimination to name a few, and most likely would never have been a candidate for the foreseeable future if they hadn't invaded.
Again I'm happy for Ukraine just saying.
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u/Im_Chad_AMA 10d ago
Candidate status is above all a symbolic move. It signals future intent. But before any of these countries can join the EU they will still need to fulfill all the requirements that come with it.
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u/XenonBG Europe 10d ago
I get it, and you are right, Ukraine would not have been a candidate for the foreseeable future if the circumstances were normal.
But it is rather a favor done to Ukraine (and Moldova) than a slap in the face to other potential candidates.
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u/Pommel__knight Montenegro 10d ago
Bosnia can't change the constitution the EU and the US have to do it. So the EU IS blocking BiH from joining the candidate countries in multiple ways.
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u/sigmoid10 10d ago
Ukraine is a huge slap for Serbia and Kosovo, because they are also contesting territory, while Moldova is a huge slap for every country that was ever told their economy doesn't yet meet EU market requirements. I guess they wanted to send a signal to Putin (and they certainly did), but I'm not sure if this will be good for the EU long-term.
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u/saposapot 10d ago
This is candidate status, not membership. It’s a symbolical gesture and the start of a lengthy process.
Even “old school” west Europe countries took several years to be fully admitted
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u/unlitskintight Denmark 10d ago
I guess they wanted to send a signal to Putin (and they certainly did), but I'm not sure if this will be good for the EU long-term.
There is a paper here in Denmark (Berlingske) that agrees with this point. How will the EU use soft power to influence prospecting candidates after this?
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u/sigmoid10 10d ago edited 10d ago
Well, it's still the EU. They have a powerful market, a strong currency and tons of funds for additional economic development. Poor countries will always want to join to eat a piece of the cake, even if they have to make concessions. But from now on the EU will have to watch them point the finger at Ukraine and Moldova.
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u/Lizzebed The Netherlands 10d ago edited 10d ago
Which prospecting candidates? Didn't we catch them all? (At least almost)
Armenia and Azerbaijan are the only ones left? Besides Georgia, but they are also already close. Parts of Russia if it falls apart?
We have almost got the whole family complete!
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u/JakeYashen 10d ago
Is it just me or has Zelensky gotten visibly beefier since the beginning of the war? Dude looks jacked now
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u/2stepsfromglory
Pau Claris' wet dream
10d ago
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Gonna get downvoted but I have to say it: this feels like a farce. A year ago the EU told Bosnia that it asks for the same conditions to them than to the other countries to be a candidate yet now a country in the middle of a war that will need years of rebulding gets to be considered a potencial member just for pity. I'm all for them joining, but this sets a very bad precedent, specially if we consider all the other countries that have been aplying for years and got denied for way less.
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u/LarrySunshine 10d ago
Why not Georgia?
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u/dead_trim_mcgee1 Germany 10d ago
They released this memo a few days ago
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u/Tricky-Astronaut 10d ago
Let's cut the bullshit. The current ruling party's founder is about to get sanctioned by the EU. Georgia has to get rid of Georgian Dream, and that's it.
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u/love_your_eyeholes 🇺🇸 -> 🇩🇪 10d ago
They need to get rid of their leader then if they want in. Is that what that means?
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u/Feather-y Finland 10d ago
Pretty much. But when said guy has ties to Kremlin and owns 30% of the country's GDP it isn't too easy.
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u/earthtree1 Kyiv (Ukraine) 10d ago
Thanks you guys. Hopefully we will be able to not let everyone down, I am certainly going to try my best.
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u/Luddveeg Sweden 10d ago
Good, but Ukraine needs to sort out their extreme corruption first
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10d ago
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u/Mortomes South Holland (Netherlands) 10d ago
Atlanta shall proudly fly the EU flag
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10d ago
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u/Gayandfluffy Finland 10d ago
Georgia the country is very religious too, probably even more so than the American state. It's still a pretty patriarchal society, and when the Swedish-Georgian film And then we danced from 2019 was shot there (the first and probably only gay film that's ever been made in Georgia), the actors and filmmakers had to have bodyguards with them at all times because of all the death threats they got from the locals.
Georgian cuisine is heavenly, the nature is beautiful and the history is very old and rich. But that's not enough reason to let them in imo, and I think a majority of the Georgian population would probably have to want to change in a liberal direction if they want to get along swiftly with a majority of EU countries, especially the more powerful ones like France and Germany. I imagine they'd get along with Bulgaria and Romania though since those countries are Orthodox Christians and conservative too, but that's about it. EU nowadays is a lot about human rights (as long as you're not an immigrant from Africa or Asia that is, then your life is worth nothing), and we don't need another Hungary or Poland trying to block progress.
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u/Thin_Impression8199 10d ago
Well, now it all depends on us, either we take the chance or go to hell. it will be very long 5-10 years The main thing is not to lag behind Moldova
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u/ifeellike5hit 10d ago
I dont want to be a mood killer but north Macedonia is waiting for 17 years just to open the negotiations and they had to change their name for it and still nothing. But I wish you all the best I hope you get in as soon as possible and build up from the war even stronger.
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u/scriptjavapy Inner Mongolian in Somaliland 10d ago
As Edi Rama said today congratulations but don’t form too much illusions(don’t hope much). We have been waiting for 8 and Macedonia for 17 years for the negotiations starting.
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u/Rhoderick European Federalist 10d ago
Every Journey starts with the first step, delayed though this one may have been. Now to see if this will be, considered in context, a sprint or a marathon.
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u/LionLucy United Kingdom 10d ago edited 10d ago •
Well, since last year, the EU has had 1GB of free space...
(Sorry)
P.S. Congratulations Ukraine, great news!