The European Commission is preparing to recommend the start of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the European Union, according to Bloomberg, citing its own sources on September 22.
"The European Commission is expected to recommend launching a years-long accession process next month, people familiar with the matter said. But it may insist on progress in some priority areas including corruption as interim steps", - the publication notes.
Once the commission makes its recommendation, EU leaders would have to sign off on it, most likely at their summit meeting in December. After that, Ukraine would embark on the lengthy procedure to complete reforms and align itself with EU legislation in more than 30 areas, including the rule of law and the economy.
It was previously reported that Moldova has also considered the possibility of joining the EU without Transnistria.