This Thursday, the President of the European Commission will move part of the executive branch to Kiev for an extraordinary meeting with the Ukrainian authorities. The meetings are taking place at the highest level, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and with the Kiev government, on the eve of a summit between the institutional representatives of the European Union and Ukraine.
The meetings take place just days after Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal expressed his wish for early accession to the European Union. But there will be no promises from the European side about a quick accession.
Good to be back in Kiev, my 4th time since the invasion of Russia.
This time with my team of commissioners.
We are here together to show that the EU is as firmly behind Ukraine as ever.
And to further deepen our support and cooperation. pic.twitter.com/zf8fvoNKnG
– Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) February 2, 2023
Turning to expectations in Kiev, the DN in Brussels heard Cohesion and Reform Commissioner Elisa Ferreira acknowledge that any speculation on data is “an impossibility” at a time when the country is at war and there are a number of reforms that must be implemented.
It will be necessary to go beyond just changing the laws in the country. “Changing the law is not enough, [e] we all know it’s not enough. It needs to be implemented and that requires an internal transformation in the countries, which is not easy,” acknowledged the Commissioner, pointing to the most urgent reform examples.
It is necessary to adapt “the functioning of the institutions, the functioning of the courts, the rule of law – not only in formal terms but also in terms of implementation”, stressed Elisa Ferreira, who confirmed the availability of the Commission’s services expresses “to help Ukraine to meet all these requirements so that an effective accession can take place and Europe can be enlarged again”.
The Commissioner lowers expectations about the outcome of the meeting, with regard to the enlargement process, stressing that “in fact, a whole path of progress needs to be developed through Ukraine”.
On Tuesday, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal believed that holding these rallies sends “a strong signal” to the “enemies of Ukraine”.
“What is expected is that the war ends quickly, but ends well,” said Elisa Ferreira, clarifying that this would mean “the preservation of democracy in Europe, respect for the rights of each country, its self-determination and a life for its quality citizens”.
The Portuguese commissioner has meetings scheduled for next Thursday in Northern Europe and is not part of von der Leyen’s entourage in Kiev.
Commissioners who travel to the Ukrainian capital under strict security measures include Valdis Dombrovskis, who oversees economic portfolios, Margaritis Schinas, Commission Vice-President responsible for promoting the European way of life, or the Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski.
Meeting
On Friday, Volodymyr Zelensky will host a summit in Kiev with leaders of Brussels-based institutions and the head of European diplomacy. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, Josep Borrell, High Representative for Foreign Policy and Charles Michel, President of the European Council have four topics planned for discussion with the Ukrainian authorities.
“The first is the integration process [da Ucrânia] in the European Union. Second, the European response to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine,” said a European source, heard by DN. Also on the table will be “President Zelensky’s ten-point peace plan, based on issues such as accountability and reconstruction”.
“Last but not least, I think the topic of global food security is likely to come up,” the same source added.
The senior official admitted that this “isn’t a summit in easy circumstances at all”, citing the main reason being that the country is at war. “Holding the summit in a country at war is an important message about the priority for the European Union in the European Union’s relations with Ukraine”.
Source: DN
