Deník N | Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia to the EU?

Last week, the European Union decided to open accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova, while Georgia became a candidate for membership. The countries are embarking on a multi-year journey towards integration, on which many obstacles lie - if only because parts of them are occupied by the Russian Federation. Our senior researcher Jana Juzová commented for Deník N on what awaits these countries, and the whole of the EU-27, in connection with this decision in the coming years.

"When it comes to democratic reforms or strengthening the rule of law, it is not enough to amend legislation or create new institutions. It is also necessary to monitor how the reforms are then translated into practice and whether they actually have the desired democratising effects. However, Ukraine and Moldova have shown a commitment to EU conditionality over the past year, even in the context of an ongoing war, when the internal capacities of both countries are already stretched to the limit, and the European Commission and subsequently EU Heads of State have rewarded these efforts by agreeing to take the next step towards EU membership."

You can read the full article here.

Jana Juzová
Senior Research Fellow

Expertise: regionalism, Visegrad cooperation, democratization and European integration of the Western Balkan countries, EU enlargement