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The European Commission will discuss next Monday its views on applications from Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova for EU candidate status, a spokesman for the commission said today.

He added that the adoption of the opinions is expected to be voted on next Friday, a week before the next European Council.

Before the European Parliament yesterday, the Speaker of the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk called on the EU to grant candidate status to his country at the European Council on 24 June.

The European Commission today insisted that countries around the world not accept supplies of Ukrainian grain stolen from Russia.

Romania actively supports the aspirations of Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia for EU membership

A spokesman for the commission said Egypt had already refused such supplies.

The spokesman said that importers should monitor where they receive grain supplies.

The Commission announced today that another € 205 million will be allocated from the EU budget for humanitarian aid to Ukraine, bringing the total amount allocated to more than € 700 million.

For Moldova, the EU provides 13m euros for humanitarian needs.

The EU is also allocating seven million euros to the Red Cross and Red Crescent to provide psychological assistance to Ukrainian refugees in Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and the Czech Republic over the next two years.

The EC is proposing that Moldova be exempted for one year from tariff quotas on exports to the EU of the only seven agricultural commodities that are still subject to restrictions.

The commission estimates such a decision would support the country with 55m euros as part of efforts to mitigate the effects of Russia's war against Ukraine.

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