European Commission recommends granting Ukraine the status of an EU candidate, which is a necessary formal step before considering the issue at the European Council level.

This conclusion, or the official "opinion of the European Commission" was announced today by its President Ursula von der Leyen during a press conference after a meeting of the European Commission board.

The European Commission's opinion was formed on the basis of Ukraine's application for EU membership and on the basis of analysis of two questionnaires, according to which Ukraine's readiness to fulfill the so-called Copenhagen criteria of a developed democratic society and its compliance with the acquis communitaire provisions (legislation) of the European Union was assessed.

The European Commission today considered applications for EU membership from Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia.

The European Council will consider Ukraine's application to become a candidate for European Union membership at its meeting on 23-24 June.