Negotiations on Ukraine and Moldova joining the European Union will begin on June 25, the Belgian Government announced on Friday.
Belgium, which is acting on behalf of EU member-states until the end of this month, said on X that ministers had approved plans for talks with the two countries.
This would allow the negotiations to begin next week.
Ukraine and Moldova applied for EU membership after Russia’s full-scale invasion of the former in February 2022.
Moldova, like its larger neighbour, Ukraine, has a breakaway region called Transnistria that aligns itself to Russia.
The start of talks does not mean the two countries would be joining the EU any time soon.
The Belgian Presidency said that every step of the process would require unanimous agreement among current member-states.
It said that several other countries had been waiting longer.
EU leaders formally recognised Ukraine and Moldova as candidates for membership in June 2023.
They granted candidate status to Georgia in December 2023.
The other official candidates are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey.
The last country to be admitted into the EU was Croatia, which joined in 2013.
Romania and Bulgaria joined in 2007, and 10 countries joined in 2004. (dpa/NAN)
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