November 8, 2023

The following is a press release:

Statement by the President of the European Committee of the Regions.

The President of the European Committee of the Regions, Vasco Alves Cordeiro, has welcomed the European Commission's proposal to start accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova, to grant candidate status to Georgia and open accession negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina once they comply with membership criteria.

The EU's 27 member states will now consider whether to endorse the European Commission's recommendations.

The President of the European Committee of the Regions, Vasco Alves Cordeiro, said:

"Today, the European Commission has taken a historic step by recommending that EU leaders open accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova. This decision is a clear signal of the European Union's unwavering support for the nearly 50 million Europeans in these two countries, and a powerful message of solidarity and hope to the wider region. And it is a reminder to the EU's citizens that it is in our Union's own interest to continue the path of enlargement to these countries.

"The European Committee of the Regions warmly welcomes these decisions, as well as the Commission's conclusion that Georgia should now be recognised as a candidate for membership, a step that would set it on the path to joining the EU, and its offer of membership talks to Bosnia and Herzegovina, once it has completed more reforms. As the voice of regional and local authorities in the EU, we have always been strong supporters of enlargement, and we believe that Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina have a rightful place in our European family.

"Within the EU, regional and local authorities are at the forefront of delivering public services and implementing EU policies. That means that the regions and cities of all enlargement countries have a vital role to play in ensuring that they are ready to join the Union and that their voices need to be heard in the enlargement process.

"Europe has a rich tradition of peer-to-peer cooperation between its cities and regions, and the Committee has been building on this tradition for nearly 15 years, providing expert advice to accession candidates' local and regional authorities, helping to build capacity at the local and regional level, and facilitating networking and cooperation between regional and local authorities in the EU and beyond.

"We are committed to continuing and developing our engagement with local and regional administrations in Ukraine, Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Georgia so that they are well prepared for EU membership. The European Committee of the Regions has been the first EU body to offer representatives of local and regional authorities of candidate countries the possibility to join as observers its activities. We also opened since this year our programme for Young Elected Politicians to all enlargement countries. The expertise and experience of EU regions and cities is being put at the disposal of these countries to help them achieve their goal of joining the European Union and to encourage bottom-up reforms and the creation of bridges between communities.

"The European Committee of the Regions stands ready to work with local and regional authorities in candidate countries, to ensure that the accession process is a success.

"We need to be ready for this historic step in our common European project and we need to be aware that whatever the cost may be, it would be much costlier to close the door of Europe to those who want to be part of this amazing political journey."

Background:

The European Committee of the Regions promotes dialogue and cooperation between local and regional authorities in the EU and in countries wishing to join the EU, and supports them on their path towards the EU, as part of his mission as EU consultative body.

Each year, the European Commission examines the progress made by the candidate countries and potential candidates, the challenges encountered and reforms to be addressed and sets out proposals for the way forward. This year's assessments – known as the 'enlargement package' – include Ukraine and Moldova for the first time. The two countries gained candidate status in 2022. The package also assesses Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Türkiye.

The European Committee of the Regions each year appraises the European Commission's enlargement progress reports. The Committee's latest opinion can be found here. The Committee has consistently advocated enlargement of the EU, arguing that membership of the EU promotes peace, stability, and prosperity. It emphasises the importance of involving regional and local authorities in the accession process, strengthening technical support for local and regional administrations, adequate funding for the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) to support accession candidates, and for more active engagement with civil society in accession candidates.

The European Committee of the Regions adopted a 10-points support package to Ukraine in February 2023, which includes also measures for other candidate countries.

President's spokesperson:

Monica Tiberi

Tel. +32 2 282 2381, +32 479 51 74 43

monica.tiberi@cor.europa.eu