Following the European Commission’s 2023 Enlargement Package, the Steering Committee of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum (EaP CSF) calls on the European Council to decide to open accession negotiations with Moldova and Ukraine and to grant EU candidate status to Georgia during its next meeting on 14-15 December 2023.

In its statement, published on 7 December, the EaP CSF says that the Enlargement package contributes to the chosen path towards EU membership of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia. “The current momentum should be maintained, and all efforts must be directed towards creating optimal conditions for further successful reforms in the Eastern Partnership (EaP) Region,” says the statement. “The citizens of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia are looking with hope towards the upcoming decision of the European Council to endorse, facilitate and accelerate the process of EU accession for their countries.” 

The Forum also calls on the European Union and its member states to provide to all three countries the strong political and financial support needed “to pursue and complete credible and meaningful reforms”, as well as to benefit from further economic integration and legislative harmonisation with the EU. 

EaP CSF is the largest umbrella organisation of NGOs from the Eastern Partnership region and the EU, working together with more than 1,000 organisations to promote European integration, facilitate reforms and democratic transformations in the six Eastern Partnership countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.