Ukraine should be able to complete the process of joining the European Union in two years given the current pace of reforms and negotiations, Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Olha Stefanishyna said in a press conference in Kyiv on Nov. 9.
However, she also stressed that the two-year period has not officially begun yet.
Ukraine received a recommendation from the European Commission on Nov. 8 to begin accession talks, but a final vote among the member states of the EU will still be required in order to begin the official accession talks.
Stefanishyna said that the speed of Ukraine's integration depends on both the ability of the Ukrainian government to fully implement the required reforms in a timely fashion and the political will of the EU.
Ukraine officially applied for EU membership in late February 2022, just following the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion.
The country was granted candidacy status in June and presented with seven criteria it needs to fulfill in order to begin the talks. The report released by the European Commission on Nov. 8 said that Ukraine has fully implemented four of the seven required reforms.
Croatia, the last country to join the EU, first applied for membership in 2003 and was in negotiation from 2005 to 2011. After signing an accession treaty at the end of 2011, Croatia finally joined the EU in July 2013.
Olga Rudenko
