Politico: announcement on start of EU accession talks expected in December
To start talks, Ukraine must fulfill seven conditions set by the European Commission, including judicial reforms
The European Union is preparing to start negotiations with Ukraine on its future accession to the bloc, with an official announcement expected in December.
Source. This was reported by Politico with reference to sources.
According to three diplomats with knowledge of the matter, EU leaders are preparing to give Kyiv the green light to start formal accession talks by the end of the year.
EU countries granted Kyiv candidate status in June, and in November the European Commission is to submit a report on Ukraine's progress in fulfilling the conditions for joining the bloc, one of the EU officials said.
According to one EU diplomat, after the progress report is approved, the European Commission will make a statement after which it will be "very difficult for member states not to say, 'Let's start negotiations on Ukraine'."
"The political pressure around this will be too great for individual member states to resist. The working assumption is that by December the European Council will decide to start negotiations," he said.
To start the talks, Ukraine must fulfill seven conditions set by the European Commission, including judicial reforms and the fight against corruption, Politico reminds.
But even if all the conditions are not met by December, when EU leaders gather for a summit, they are expected to make a political statement anyway.
"The goal is to have a political agreement to start negotiations in December," another diplomat said, adding that a legal decision could be made by early 2024.
Background. Earlier, European Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton said that there would be no simplified accession for Ukraine to the EU.
If you have read this article to the end, we hope that means it was useful for you.
We work to ensure that our journalistic and analytical work is of high quality, and we strive to perform it as competently as possible. This also requires financial independence. Support us for only UAH 196 per month.
Become a Mind subscriber for just USD 5 per month and support the development of independent business journalism!
You can unsubscribe at any time in your LIQPAY account or by sending us an email: [email protected]
