EU membership applications from Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova are going to be considered by the European Commission, reports BBC.

The decision over considering membership application, taken by EU ambassadors, requires to be signed off by EUCO, which according to BBC, is described as a procedural formality.

"Member states' permanent representatives discussed the applications, received over the last week, at a meeting today, and agreed to invite the Commission to present an opinion on each," reports the agency.

As BBC notes, preparing Commissioner's opinion can take up to 18 months, "and if successful, the process to join the EU usually takes years."