The European Commission recommends E.U. candidacy for Ukraine and Moldova, but not Georgia.

The European Union’s executive branch recommended on Friday that Ukraine be granted candidate status in the country’s bid to become a member, the first formal step in a process that normally lasts longer than a decade.

Becoming part of the Union would moor the former Soviet state to the world’s biggest trading bloc. Beyond the economic benefits, Ukraine would also gain a bigger voice on the global stage if it succeeds in joining a giant union that includes Europe’s largest economies like Germany, France and Italy. The political stability of being anchored to a large group of countries also helps draw foreign investment.

The European Commission also recommended a similar status for Moldova — which applied for membership to the bloc soon after Ukraine, spurred by concerns about Russian aggression in the region — but not for neighboring Georgia, which was deemed not ready for E.U. candidacy. Read more

@nytimes