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The
assessment will come in an annual report by the Brussels-based
European Commission detailing how far countries looking to join
the 27-nation bloc have advanced in meeting the necessary
economic, legal and other criteria.
A decision is then expected during a Dec.14-15 summit of EU
leaders on whether to launch formal membership negotiations with
Ukraine, a top priority for Kyiv as it fights the Russian
invasion.
Kyiv is expected to get a positive recommendation, possibly
under additional conditions related to fighting graft and the
rights of minorities, the latter issue having been raised by
Hungary.
Of the other hopefuls, an EU official said this week a similar
recommendation could come for Moldova, where the bloc is also
engaged in a geopolitical tug-of-war with Russia.
On Georgia, "the jury is still out" on whether it would receive
formal candidate status, the person said, something Kyiv won in
June last year, shortly after Russia had started the invasion.
Any enlargement decisions require unanimous backing of all the
bloc's members, something that might be difficult to achieve for
countries in the Western Balkans, according to EU officials and
diplomats.
Instead, they said, the region could get additional financial
assistance from a review of the bloc's shared budget, something
the December summit is also due to decide on.
The Commission's proposal for the review includes earmarking 50
billion euros to support Ukraine through 2027, as well as
assigning another 15 billion to handling unauthorized
immigration.
Budget decisions also require unanimity in the bloc and some
member countries have asked to also raise spending on tackling
natural disasters like wildfires and floods, sources said.
(Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by David Holmes)
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