Ukraine and Moldova meet all the criteria necessary for the formal start of negotiations on EU membership, the European Commission said on Friday, while Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal expressed hope that negotiations could begin later this month.
“We confirm that the Commission considers that the two countries have fulfilled all the steps,”said Ana Pisonero, spokeswoman for the Enlargement Commission.
“The decision is now in the hands of the member states, it is up to them to adopt the negotiation framework,” she said.
“When this step is taken, it is the prerogative of the EU Presidency to convene an intergovernmental conference to officially mark the start of negotiations,” she added.
Opening negotiations with the European Union would be a morale boost for Ukraine as the war with Russia enters its third year, and Moscow’s forces advance in the eastern region of Donetsk and open a new front in the northeastern region of Kharkiv.
“Now we expect our European partners to take the next step – to start negotiations on membership in the European Union already this month,” announced Shmyhal in the messaging application Telegram.
“The Ukrainian people fight every day for the right to be part of the European family in the war against the Russian aggressor,” he added.
The Commission’s assessment will now be discussed by experts in working groups, and then next week by EU government ambassadors. Then the 27 EU member states must unanimously agree to start negotiations, which take years to complete, by adopting the so-called negotiating framework.
