The President of the European Council wants a ‘green light’ from leaders at the European summit in December to open formal negotiations on the accession of Ukraine and Moldova to the European Union (EU), insisting on the ‘clear incentive’ for expansion in 2030 .
“December this year will be an important moment. It will be a difficult meeting, a difficult European Council and I would not underestimate the challenges, but the Commission should publish a report in the coming weeks […] and the European Council in December will have to make some decisions on Ukraine, on Moldova, whether we will open negotiations.”said Charles Michel in an interview with the Lusa agency and other European media in Brussels.
Days before an informal European Council held in Granada on Friday by the Spanish EU presidency that focused on institutional reforms aimed at expanding the bloc, the official also said he expects decisions in December “on some countries of the Western Balkans’, when reports from the community council on compliance with the reforms demanded by the candidate countries are expected in early November.
It will then be up to the European Council, in December, “to see what the report that the Commission will present will bring to the table”, said Charles Michel.
‘We have given clear signals in recent months when we decided to grant Ukraine status [de país candidato]. We have sent a clear message not only from the European Council, but also from many individual leaders that we must accelerate the process and make the necessary efforts, and that on Friday […] the whole European Council will discuss the future of the EU, taking into account the prospect of this enlargement is, I think, a very strong signal”he mentioned.
As for Ukraine and Moldova, which obtained official status as EU candidate countries in mid-2022, it is expected that by the end of the year they will have a ‘green light’ to start formal accession negotiations, an approval that will require unanimity of European leaders.
Formal negotiations are intended to prepare a candidate country in terms of legislative alignment and implementing the necessary judicial, administrative and economic reforms.
After setting the 2030 target date for EU enlargement, Charles Michel emphasized in the interview with Lusa and other European media: “I maintain this target and this deadline, this is completely clear to everyone”.
“Why is this date important? Because it is a clear incentive for all of us to prepare and accelerate efforts and, without the indication of a date, there was a common goal, but it was easy to procrastinate and not make the decisions necessary . necessary”emphasized the President of the European Council.
A draft of the conclusions on the Granada Summit, to which Lusa had access, states that “candidate countries must intensify their reform efforts, especially in the area of the rule of law”, and that the Union must “lay the foundations necessary to preparation for enlargement”.
Charles Michel also said it is “no surprise” that fighting corruption should be “one of the main priorities” for countries like Ukraine to join the EU.
Currently, countries such as Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey, North Macedonia, Albania, Ukraine, Moldova and Bosnia-Herzegovina are in the ‘queue’ to join the European bloc – some without making progress for years.
Enlargement is the process by which states join the EU after meeting political and economic requirements.
Any European state that respects the EU’s democratic values and is committed to promoting them can apply for EU membership, but must go through a formal process.
Revision of the EU budget is an “urgent task” to support Ukraine
The President of the European Council classifies the revision of the multi-annual community budget as an “urgent task”, freeing up 50 billion for the reconstruction of Ukraine, and believes that the EU must “do its part” by supporting Kiev.
“In the short term, we need to find a solution to the mid-term review of the multiannual framework. This is an urgent task on the table, […] but we are working discreetly and I hope that we can efficiently make some commitments towards some consensus on this important issue.”said Charles Michel, also in the interview with the Lusa agency and other European media, emphasizing that the bloc must “do its part”.
This is two days after Ukraine announced that it is analyzing, together with the White House, the situation created by the North American Congress which, in order to avoid a government shutdown, passed a temporary financing law that will not provide new aid to Kiev includes.
“I think it’s very important that we do our part and do our job, and that’s what we’re doing. The revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework is the opportunity to clearly demonstrate our support for the mechanism for Ukraine. […] This should be a priority […] to make it clear that we support Ukraine in the long term”Charles Michel emphasized when questioned by Lusa in this interview.
The issue should also be raised at the European summit in October, but the most intense discussions should take place in December.
Recalling the four days and four nights of negotiations on the EU’s long-term budget for 2021-2027 in July 2020, when a recovery plan based on an unprecedented joint debt issuance was adopted, Charles Michel compared: “We did it and it was a very important sign […] and perhaps now it is necessary to have more than four days and four nights, perhaps five or six days”.
According to European sources, the most difficult part of the budget negotiations is not about support for Kiev, which generates consensus among the 27, but about other European priorities and how to finance them.
“In any case, it will be necessary to support the reconstruction of Ukraine – and we will do so. This will be costly not only for the EU, but also for its partners.”Michel concludes.
The statements come a day after the European Parliament adopted its position on the reform of the Union’s multi-annual budget, revising the amendment proposal presented by the European Commission last June by €10 billion.
Since then, the EU has been discussing the revision of the budget for the period 2024-2027, following a proposal to set aside €50 billion to support Ukraine’s recovery, €15 billion for migration management and €10 billion from the STEP platform for ‘green economy’. ‘ and technological investments, in a step towards a future sovereign wealth fund.
A financial reserve is planned for Ukraine for the next four years, with loans and grants for the post-war reconstruction of the country, an amount that will be mobilized depending on the situation on the ground.
At stake is a revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework, until 2027, which together with the Recovery Fund currently amounts to 2.018 billion euros in current prices (1.8 billion euros in 2018 prices).
Russia’s military offensive on Ukrainian territory has plunged Europe into what is considered the worst security crisis since World War II.
Source: DN
