The European Commission will recommend starting negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova on joining the EU in June. They want to start the process before Hungary takes over the EU presidency.
Points of attention
- The European Commission is preparing a recommendation for starting negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU in June of this year, which could be an essential step toward starting European integration.
- Ukraine has met several criteria, including anti-corruption measures and restrictions on political lobbying, which are necessary for the start of formal negotiations on EU accession.
- Support from the leaders of the EU countries opened the way for the start of negotiations on Ukraine's accession, but many more stages must be completed, and the requirements of the European Union must be met.
What is known about the start of negotiations regarding Ukraine's membership in the EU
According to three informed sources, the European Commission is pushing for formal accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova to begin this month to give both countries a positive signal.
According to the Financial Times, the European Commission will announce its decision on the recommendation to start negotiations on June 7. The EC will declare that Ukraine meets previously unfulfilled criteria, including anti-corruption measures, restrictions on political lobbying, asset declaration rules for civil servants and protection of languages used by national minorities.
The commission's recommendation requires the unanimous decision of all 27 countries of the European Union. Hungary is expected to object because of the alleged violation of the rights of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine.
From July 1, Hungary will preside over the EU. This will give her additional leverage. Therefore, Belgium, which currently holds the presidency of the EU, hopes to hold the first round of accession negotiations on June 25, the publication notes.
Accession of Ukraine to the EU
We will remind that during the full-scale war, Ukraine received the status of a candidate for joining the European Union.
In December, EU leaders supported the opening of negotiations on Ukraine's accession. However, Ukraine continues to comply with EU requirements and recommendations.
In particular, screening Ukrainian legislation for compliance with European laws was started. As the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration, Olha Stefanishyna, reported, the first stage of screening the legislation has already been completed.
