The date of the meeting of the College of Commissioners with the Ukrainian government in Kiev remains shrouded in secrecy, but should take place on Thursday, on the eve of the summit between the European Union and Ukraine, also in the country’s capital.
While there is still no confirmation of the date for the meeting and which Commissioners will attend, a European Commission source has announced that the meeting with the Ukrainian government will take place on the eve of the summit, scheduled for Friday, February 3.
At the end of last week, Brussels made available information including the participation of Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis and Commissioners Margaritis Schinas (Promoting the European Way of Life), Janusz Wojciechowski (Agriculture), Nicolas Schmit (Employment and Social Rights), Ylva Johansson (Internal Affairs ), Paolo Gentolini (Economics) and Janez Lenarcic (Crisis Management).
However, this information has been withdrawn.
In the calendar of the European Commission, the meeting between the commissioners and the government of Kiev appears between Thursday and Friday, but no program is available.
When asked today about this meeting and the subsequent summit, European Commission spokesman Eric Mamer replied that the two events are separate and that the summit will only be attended by the President of the Executive of the community, Ursula von der Leyen, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, and the President of the European Council, Charles Michel.
“The rest of the college will not be on top,” the representative said at the regular press conference.
The spokesman did not provide further details, citing security reasons in preparation for the meeting and summit.
Ukraine’s accession to the European Union (EU) and support to Kiev against the Russian invasion should be the central themes of the meeting between the College of Commissioners and the Ukrainian government and of the summit.
According to the publication Politico, Kiev aims to join the EU in 2026, so Brussels should indicate that membership is an intention of the community bloc, but that it cannot commit to any deadlines for now.
The corruption cases that have come to light in recent days, which have led to several dismissals in Ukraine’s leadership structure, will weigh on this decision.
The Russian military offensive on Ukrainian territory, launched on February 24 last year, plunged Europe into what is considered the most serious security crisis since World War II (1939-1945).
The Russian invasion – justified by the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, with the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russian security – was condemned by the international community at large, which responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and Russia political and economic sanctions.
Source: DN
