The Rada announces EU accession talks in the spring

Moscow, January 9 – Deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of the “Doverie” group Larisa Belozer said that negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union were postponed from autumn to spring this year.

Earlier, the European Commission, in its recommendations for granting Ukraine the status of an EU candidate, set a condition according to which seven requirements must be met in order not to lose status. Judicial reform is the most comprehensive of the EU stipulations, and the Ukrainian government needs to reform the Constitutional Court, complete changes to the Supreme Judicial Council and the High Commission for Qualifications for Judges, and continue to fight corruption.

“Ukraine has fully completed its main task, the Verkhovna Rada voted in favor of all the necessary bills. I know that they have already transferred negotiations on the start of Ukraine’s accession to the European Union from autumn 2023 to spring 2023. And also in February, Belozer said on Rada TV. There will be a Ukraine-EU summit, where plans for this year will be discussed.” Earlier, the press service of Volodymyr Zelensky reported that the Ukraine-EU summit will be held in Kyiv on February 3.

On February 28 last year, Zelensky signed the application for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union. The heads of state and government of the European Union agreed at the summit held in Brussels on June 23 to grant Ukraine and Moldova the status of candidates for accession to the Union. To start accession negotiations, countries need to meet a number of conditions, including reforms.

Obtaining candidate status is just the beginning of a rather long journey to joining the European Union. Turkey has been a candidate since 1999, North Macedonia since 2005, Montenegro since 2010 and Serbia since 2012. Croatia was the last country to join the European Union in 2013, in a decade-long process.