The European Commission recommended this Wednesday to the Council to open formal negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union (EU), given Kiev’s efforts to meet demands, but imposed conditions such as the fight against corruption.
“Today is a historic day as today the Commission recommends to the Council to open formal negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova,” the president of the community council, Ursula von der Leyen, announced at a press conference in Brussels.
The statements come on the day the institution announces that “in light of the results achieved since June 2022 under the political criteria, within the framework of the seven phases and beyond, the Commission considers that Ukraine sufficiently meets the criteria regarding the stability of the institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and the respect and protection of minorities, established by the Copenhagen European Council in 1993, provided that it continues its reform efforts continues and meets the remaining requirements of the seven steps.
“On this basis, the Commission recommends that the Council open accession negotiations with Ukraine,” the document said, but imposed four conditions, one of which concerns the fight against corruption.
“Ukraine must continue to fight corruption by building a new track record in corruption investigations and convictions. The Commission will continuously monitor progress and compliance in all areas related to the opening of negotiations and report to the Council by March 2024,” Brussels said in the document.
Von der Leyen expects approval for the accession negotiations in December
Ursula von der Leyen said she hopes European Union leaders will approve opening formal negotiations with Ukraine in December, after which the process can “begin immediately.”
“Today we present the recommendation to open accession negotiations and this is very important for the Council. Then it is up to the Council to take the political decision. We will have a European Council in mid-December and by then the matter will be on the agenda at the table,” he said, noting that “if the Council takes the political decision to say yes, it will accept the Commission’s recommendation, […] with reforms on the horizon”.
“Ukraine must complete this work, which is explicitly stated in our recommendation, by March [de 2024]we will report on the progress made, but [as negociações formais] can start immediately once the European Council has given the ‘green light’ in its December decision,” he added.
Ursula von der Leyen stressed that Ukraine’s progress in meeting European demands “is impressive” and said that this is the “right time” to start formal negotiations as this would allow sending a “clear signal” in light of the Russian invasion of the country.
Opening negotiations will lead millions of people “towards a future of freedom”
Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament (EP), believed that the Commission’s recommendations to open negotiations with several candidate countries, especially Ukraine, would lead millions of people to a future of “freedom, peace and stability”.
‘An expansion of the European Union [UE] means a stronger EU. The EP welcomes the progress of countries seeking to join the EU,” wrote Roberta Metsola on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
An enlarged EU means a stronger EU.@Europarl_EN welcomes the progress of countries aspiring to join the EU.
Today @EU_Commission‘s recommendations give millions of people new hope and a clear European path to a future of freedom, peace and stability.
– Roberta Metsola (@EP_President) November 8, 2023
Metsola argued that the recommendations made today by the European Commission “give millions of people new hope and a clear European path towards a future of freedom, peace and stability”.
“I am pleased that Ukraine and Moldova are on the right track towards opening accession negotiations,” the President of the European Parliament added, while also announcing the granting of candidate country status to Georgia and signaling to Bosnia- Herzegovina congratulated “so that the conditions have been met.”
Source: DN
