Although the start of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU is scheduled for June 25, EU representatives expect that they will begin substantively during the Polish presidency of the bloc, which begins on January 1, the Financial Times reports, UNN writes.
Details
The publication points out that Ukraine will start EU accession talks on Tuesday, June 25, when "EU ministers will meet with Ukrainian officials in Luxembourg to formally launch a process that will take years, but is a highly symbolic moment for a country struggling with a full-scale Russian invasion now in its third year.
"We have overcome the barrier of what was promised to be fulfilled," Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, told the Financial Times.
"This decision is based on merit," she said, noting that her country had met all the criteria for starting negotiations.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Burbock also emphasized the "important signal" that the move represents. "Putin wanted to annex Ukraine. Instead, [the country] is now closer to the EU than ever before," she said.
The bloc will also begin talks with neighboring Moldova, which applied for EU membership a few weeks after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
At the meetings, the EU will present the two countries with a "negotiating framework" on the reforms and legislation they must adopt before being considered ready to join.
"The start of accession talks is scheduled before Hungary, the most pro-Russian member of the EU, takes over the bloc's presidency on July 1, a six-month role that allows the country to steer political priorities," the newspaper notes.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, according to the publication, delayed several decisions related to Ukraine, including the start of membership talks, although he eventually relented, saying that Budapest would have more opportunities to veto the process in the future.
EU officials expect substantive talks to begin during the Polish presidency of the bloc, which begins on January 1
Stefanishyna said that "starting from 2025, we will insist on a very dynamic accession process.
Recall
On Tuesday, June 25, Luxembourg will host the first EU-Ukraine intergovernmental conference at the ministerial level, marking the start of membership negotiations with the EU.
The intergovernmental conference with Ukraine will begin at 15:30 local time (16:30 Kyiv time).