Negotiations on Ukraine and Moldova joining the European Union will begin on June 25, the Belgian government announced on Friday.

Belgium, acting on behalf of EU member-states until the end of this month, said on X that ministers had approved plans for talks with the two countries. This would allow the negotiations to begin next week.

Ukraine and Moldova applied for EU membership after Russia’s full-scale invasion of the former in February 2022.

Moldova, like its larger neighbour, Ukraine, has a breakaway region called Transnistria that aligns itself with Russia.

The start of the talks does not mean the two countries will join the EU soon.

The Belgian presidency said that every step of the process would require unanimous agreement among current member-states.

It said several other countries had been waiting longer.

EU leaders formally recognised Ukraine and Moldova as candidates for membership in June 2023.

They granted candidate status to Georgia in December 2023.

Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Turkey are the other official candidates.

The last country to be admitted into the EU was Croatia, which joined in 2013.

Romania and Bulgaria joined in 2007, and 10 countries joined in 2004.

(dpa/NAN)