European Parliament votes in favor of Ukraine's application for EU membership

The European Parliament voted yesterday in favor of making Ukraine a member of the European Union. European Parliament is one of the European Union's legislative branches. A total of 637 parliament members voted in favour of Ukraine joining the bloc, 13 voted against and 26 abstained. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola yesterday said that the EU will work with Ukraine towards making it a member of the grouping.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has filed an application to join the EU yesterday, a day after he urged for fast-tracking admittance due to the Russian invasion. Being a member of the European Union, which has 27 members



at present, would allow Ukrainians to move freely between the 27 countries.

The European Parliament's vote does not immediately make Ukraine an EU member. Joining the EU is a lengthy process and takes months as the applicant nation has to satisfy a number of conditions called the Copenhagen criteria. According to the EU's website, the criteria include a free-market economy, a stable democracy, the rule of law, and the acceptance of all EU legislation, including of the euro currency. After the application gets approved by the European Council, the country must agree on a framework for negotiations.