Unresolved territorial issues entangling Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia's territorial integrity would delay their membership to the European Union, an EU official told Sputnik on Friday.

Read more: EU divided over expediting Ukrainian membership

According to the official, "It will take years for all countries to fulfill the accession protocols of EU and, apart from that, all of these countries have territorial disputes which they need to resolve. This will push much further into the future the completion of the accession process regardless of the deep structural reforms all countries need to make."

According to the EU official, the European Commission was expected to approve the nations' petitions, but the deadlines and rules would differ for each country. The commission is now pressing for a quick start of the process for these nations, as fast-track accession is not conceivable, according to the source.

The scenario is exacerbated further by certain EU member states' opposition to new memberships, while the impending two-day summit of EU leaders in Brussels is unlikely to produce any consensus, according to the official. All EU member states must agree to give candidate status, and the European Commission has no role in the matter.

Georgia is in conflict with its breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which proclaimed independence in August 2008 and are still not recognized by the EU or its allies. Moldova has not settled the problem of Transnistria, a separatist province with a Russian and Ukrainian majority. Ukraine and Russia have territorial disputes over Crimea, as well as the independence of the  Donetsk and Luhansk republics.