The European Union will give a "clear" and "positive" response to membership bids by Moldova and Ukraine, but there will be "conditions" before either obtains candidate status, French President Emmanuel Macron said on June 15 in Chisinau.
"We must send a clear message to the Moldovan people and at the same time have conditions that guarantee compliance with the procedures. The answer will be clear, but conditions will be imposed," Macron said.
The statement came two days before the expected publication of the European Commission's opinion on the membership requests and ahead of a European Council summit examining the response of all EU states to the membership bids.
Moldova, Ukraine, and Georgia are three former Soviet states that submitted applications to join the EU shortly after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
SEE ALSO: Paper Shows France's Vision Of New 'Community' For All Of EuropeMacron was in Chisinau for a meeting with Moldovan President Maia Sandu. The two leaders held a joint news conference after their meeting at which Macron said Moldova's bid to join the European Union was "perfectly legitimate."
He said he wanted to reach a consensus on granting official candidate status to the three countries, adding that Moldova's application should not be separated from Ukraine's.
Macron described the war in Ukraine as "a threat for the stability of the whole region," and said Moldova was "already a country anchored within the European family."
Sandu said Moldova wanted to become an EU member "as soon as possible" but said the country's leaders "are realists and we understand that we still have a lot to do."
She said the country's leaders promised Moldovans they would obtain EU candidate status for the country and said the reforms that are being implemented were authentic.
"We know that the European integration of Moldova will be a long and complex process, which will require heavy efforts," Sandu said in response to Macron.
"We hope that our request will be supported by the EU member states at the summit in Brussels on June 23-24," she added.