Page 42 - bne magazine February 2024_20240206

42 I Southeast Europe bne February 2024
Moldova’s President Maia Sandu called the decision to start EU accession talks “a new page in our history”. / presedinte.md
Moldovan president says “new page” opens in country’s history as it gets go-ahead for EU talks
bne IntelliNews
Moldova was given the green light to start EU accession
talks on December 14, just 18 months after EU leaders admitted it as a candidate country alongside Ukraine.
Georgia was given EU candidate status at the same time, but Bosnia & Herzegovina was told it will have to carry out more reforms before being allowed to start negotiations.
European Council President Charles Michel tweeted that the decisions were
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a "clear signal of hope" for the people of the three countries "and for our continent".
“The European Council has decided to open accession negotiations with Ukraine & Moldova,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
“[The European Council] granted candidate status to Georgia. And the EU will open negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina once the necessary degree of compliance with the membership
criteria is reached, and has invited the Commission to report by March with a view to taking such a decision.”
Accelerated progress
Both Ukraine and Moldova were given candidate status a few months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which gave a new impetus to the enlargement process.
Moldova’s President Maia Sandu called the decision “a new page in our history” that was possible thanks to the united