Brussels, 16 June 2022
The Co-Chairmen of the ECR Group in the European Parliament, Prof Ryszard Legutko (Poland) and Raffaele Fitto (Italy) strongly support the accession of Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia to the EU. “The granting of candidate status is an elementary stop signal to Russia that the times of post-Soviet imperialism are finally over. The European Union must never again accept talk of a legitimate Russian sphere of influence”, Prof Legutko said. Mr Fitto shared this opinion: “Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia have always been part of the European family and granting them the candidate status will constitute another milestone in building a whole, undivided and free Europe”.
Prof Legutko added:
“The EU as a whole has refused to take heed to warnings from Eastern Europe for a long time. This is about finally drawing the necessary conclusions from the mistakes of the past, such as those mistakes made by the European Union in the Balkan states. We must support Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova to achieve full membership quickly.”
Mr Fitto concluded:
“Granting candidate status would show the unwavering support of the European Union for the aspirations of the people of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia and, in the medium and long term, provide an additional stimulus for the continuation of democratic reforms.”
Source – ECR (via e-mail)