BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 12. The European Council has approved conclusions on enlargement for the six Western Balkans partners, Türkiye and – for the first time - Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia, Trend reports.
"The Council takes good note of the Communication from the Commission of 8 November 2023 on the EU Enlargement Policy including the reports on Montenegro, Serbia, North Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Türkiye, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova (hereinafter: Moldova) and Georgia.
The Council reaffirms its commitment to enlargement in line with
the renewed consensus on enlargement approved by the European
Council in December 2006 and subsequent Council and European
Council conclusions. In line with previous Council conclusions, and
in the framework of the Copenhagen political criteria, the Council
reaffirms the need for fair and
rigorous conditionality, the principle of own merits and
reversibility. The Council stresses the importance of ensuring that
the EU can maintain and deepen its own development, including its
capacity to integrate new members. The Council continues to expect
partners to take ownership and demonstrate the credibility of their
commitments and political will through the implementation of
necessary reforms and tangible progress on the fundamentals," the
statement said.