EU ambassador: Preliminary assessment of Ukraine's reforms delayed until June

Matti Maasikas, European Union's ambassador to Ukraine, said in an April 27 interview that an oral assessment of Ukraine's progress in implementing required reforms will be made public in June.

Prior, it was stated that the first assessment would be made in spring.

Ukraine officially became an EU candidate in June 2022. However, to formally begin accession talks, Kyiv must complete seven recommendations.

The conditions include judicial and anti-corruption reforms, implementing the anti-oligarchic law, establishing transparency of media ownership and equal media market conditions, and drawing legislation on national minorities per EU principles.

"Given the fact that we want to join the European Union as soon as possible, we prioritize the seven recommendations and its implementation by the end of the year," Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna told the Kyiv Independent in November when zero of the seven were fully implemented.

Maasikas told Suspilne news outlet that Ukraine is well aware of the EU's expectations – the restoration of online declarations of property for government officials, fixing the laws on the Constitutional Court and money laundering and making substantial progress in implementing the judicial reform.