Moldova, tiny, poor and bordering Ukraine, gets EU candidacy

By STEPHEN McGRATH
Associated Press

SIGHISOARA, Romania (AP) — The European Union has announced that it has granted EU candidate status to Moldova, a poor non-NATO Eastern European country bordering war-torn Ukraine, which likely won’t enjoy the perks of full bloc membership for years to come. Along the road, Moldova will need to enact reforms in areas such as tackling corruption, organized crime, strengthening human rights and the rule of law. The former Soviet republic — landlocked between Romania and Ukraine — applied to join the 27-nation bloc just days after Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. Charles Michel, the European Council President and EU summit chair, tweeted the decision to give both Moldova and Ukraine candidate status Thursday, calling it a “historic moment.”