The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that Ukraine has fulfilled almost all the requirements set by the EU to begin negotiations on joining the union.
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“They met all the necessary requirements for almost all seven steps that we asked them to take […] when they became a candidate country,” the head of the EC said.
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Earlier, the head of the EC stated that Kyiv had fulfilled more than 90% of the required conditions for joining the European Union. According to von der Leyen, Ukraine can fulfill the remaining requirements quickly and achieve the goal of starting the process of negotiations to join the organization in 2023.
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The European Commission previously recommended starting negotiations on accession to the EU with Ukraine and Moldova, conditioning the adoption of the negotiation framework on the fulfillment of several conditions by Kiev and Chisinau. The head of the EC noted that the actual timing of Ukraine’s accession to the European Union depends on reforms and the principle of granting membership “on merit.”
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The formal decision to begin the negotiation process will be discussed by heads of state and government at the EU summit in Brussels on December 14-15. The decision must be taken unanimously by all current members of the European Union.
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On February 28, 2022, Vladimir Zelensky signed an application for Ukraine to join the European Union. The heads of state and government of the European Union at the summit in Brussels on June 23, 2022 approved the granting of candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova for membership in the union. The European Commission, in its recommendations to grant Ukraine EU candidate status, set seven conditions. Among the EU conditions, the most comprehensive reform is the judicial one: the Ukrainian government needs to reform the Constitutional Court, complete changes to the Supreme Council of Justice and the High Qualifications Commission of Judges, and continue the fight against corruption.
