December 15 (SeeNews) - The European Council said that it has decided to open accession negotiations with Moldova.
"The European Council invites the Council to adopt the respective negotiating frameworks once the relevant steps set out in the respective Commission recommendations of 8 November 2023 are taken," the Council said in a press release on Thursday.
The same decision was taken in respect to Ukraine's EU accession bid, while Georgia was granted EU candidate status, the European Council said.
Moldovan president Maia Sandu said in a social media post that she spoke to her Ukrainian and Georgian counterparts on the occasion of "the historic step towards EU membership" of the three countries. "The EU enlargement is the best investment in peace, security and prosperity. It’s a path for better lives for all on the continent," Sandu said.
The European Council has made a strategic decision on December 14 - "a day that will remain engraved in the history of our Union," European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen commented in a social media post
Romania's president Klaus Iohannis said in a social media post: "My message to Chisinau is this: we support you, be brave, make reforms and together we move forward. Romania will continue to play an important role for Moldova because we have the ambition to succeed."
On November 8, the European Commission recommended that the European Council open accession negotiations with Moldova.
Moldova applied for EU membership in March 2022, shortly after Russia launched its invasion of neighbouring Ukraine, and was granted candidate country status in June the same year.