EU to decide on Moldova's request to join bloc in late June: EU Official

Brussels [Belgium], May 5 (ANI/Sputnik): The European Union is set to adopt an opinion on Moldova's request to join the bloc by the end of June, European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy Oliver Varhelyi said on Thursday.
"We do not have a precise time when the commission will adopt the opinion but we are preparing ourselves in such a way that this could happen ahead of the EU council of the 24-25 of June this year," Varhelyi told the European Parliament's plenary session.
The official added that the commission is working in an "accelerated manner" after receiving the first part of the EU questionnaire from Chisinau.
"Because of the current situation we are working in an accelerated manner, we are impressed that we have already received the answers in the first part of the questionnaire from the Moldovan authorities, once the commission has adopted its opinion for the decisions on Moldova's European path, [it] would be up to the council to decide," Varhelyi added.
Moldova received the EU questionnaire in early April.
The country, which is intending to join the European Union, should fulfill the bloc's fundamental requirements (rule of law, civil liberties, abolition of death penalty, parliamentary democracy and others) to start a negotiation process with the bloc and to receive the status of candidate member state at a later stage. The process of sending the questionnaire, receiving the candidate's answers, and the opinion from the EU commission takes approximately a year. (ANI/Sputnik)