Reuters: Ukraine meets 2 out of 7 conditions to start EU membership talks, sources say

According to the European Commission's interim assessment, Ukraine has met two out of seven conditions to launch the EU accession talks, Reuters reported on June 19, citing its sources within the bloc.

The oral assessment set to be presented this week will say that Ukraine has fully met the criteria related to judicial reform and media law, the publication wrote.

According to the European Commission's press secretary, cited by Interfax, the presentation will be made on June 22 during an informal EU General Affairs Council meeting.

"There is progress. The report will be moderately positive," one of the unnamed officials told Reuters." It's not about embellishing reality but recognizing progress, there have been prominent anti-corruption cases to name, for example."

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Another EU official said that Brussels "would never adopt a negative tone towards Ukraine at the moment" as the bloc is set to highlight Ukraine's success amid Russia's all-out war.

"Judiciary reforms have seen some progress, though there are still key ones to be carried out. Not all is satisfactory," the official told Reuters, mentioning Ukraine's "anti-oligarch" law as insufficient.

On the same day, President Volodymyr Zelensky held a phone call with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, discussing further financial support for Ukraine and the EU's upcoming sanctions package against Russia.

Ukraine officially applied for EU membership in late February 2022, just days after Russia launched its full-scale invasion, and was granted candidacy status in June 2022. On Feb. 11, Zelensky said that Ukraine wanted to become a member in two years.

Membership in the European Union has long been a key aspiration for Ukraine. To achieve that goal, the country needs to fulfill European Commission conditions on issues related to justice, the rule of law, and anti-corruption efforts, among others.

Ukraine's progress in fulfilling these conditions has only been subject to expert assessments yet. After the oral evaluation, the European Commission will give an official one in October.

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