The European Union Enlargement after Ukraine Conflict

A BSTRACT : The conflict in Ukraine it is a new challenge for the EU insofar as Ukrainian President Zelenski's application for EU membership on 28 February 2022 had direct and indirect consequences for the EU's future. Three days later, Georgia and Moldova submitted similar applications. In a period of less than four months, at the European Council of 23-24 June 2022, EU leaders decided to grant Ukraine and Moldova candidate status and recognized Georgia's " European perspective " , a step towards formal candidacy. Never have EU countries reacted affirmatively so quickly to an application for EU membership, but behind the EU's swift response in adopting a new enlargement project was a geopolitical logic strategy, and there is no doubt that this was a historic decision it could not avoid. Issues arising from the complex accession process and the possible options will be addressed in this article.