The European Union is launching the Ukraine2EU program worth 16.7 million euros ($18 million) to support to support Ukraine’s preparation for EU membership, officials announced on April 1.
“During Poland’s EU presidency, we expect to open at least two clusters and six in total. To be honest, our goal is very ambitious — to open all the clusters next year,” Zelensky said at the All-Ukrainian Congress of Local and Regional Authorities.
The European Commission has recently praised Ukraine’s progress on critical reforms, including those related to the rule of law, judicial system, and anti-corruption measures, though it emphasizes that further reforms are still required.
Brussels expects Ukraine to restore the work of all broadcasters in the pre-war format, questioning the telethon's objectivity.
Although Russian interference has taken many forms in Moldova since its independence in 1991, the election and referendum results on Sunday shocked many pro-European Moldovans. Despite opinion polls showing clear support for entrenching the desire for EU accession into the country's constitution, the success of the EU referendum came down
Ukraine should become a member of the EU despite disagreements with Poland over the historical issue of the mass killings of Poles in Volyn in the 1940s, Speaker of the Polish Parliament Szymon Holownia said on Aug. 31.
The announcement follows an agreement by EU ambassadors from last week. Officials in both Kyiv and Brussels were pushing for the June starting date before Hungary takes over from Belgium in chairing the EU.
"Now we expect our European partners to take the next step – to start the membership negotiations already this month," Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal wrote on Telegram.
Belgian Foreign Minister Hayda Lahbib's comments followed reporting by Politico earlier on May 21 that officials from the EU and Ukraine are pushing to begin accession negotiations by June 25.
According to Politico, intense diplomacy is being undertaken aimed at convincing the Hungarian government to drop their objections to Kyiv's membership to the bloc.
The European Council agreed to open accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova last December. Chisinau has moved closer to Europe over recent months amid repeated warnings that the Kremlin is attempting to carry out a destabilization campaign inside the country's borders.
In a tweet on X, Ursula von der Leyen also confirmed she would be attending the upcoming peace summit to be held on June 15-16 in Switzerland.
The EU should be able to offer a negotiating framework to begin the process of Ukraine’s ascension to the European Union in June, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna said during a press briefing on April 16, as reported by the Hromadske news outlet.
The new Portuguese government is fully in support of Ukraine's EU bid, the country's foreign minister, Paulo Rangel, said on April 4, presenting it as a shift from the "ambiguous" stance of the previous administration, Euractiv reported.
The Ukrainian government believes the negotiations on the country's accession to the European Union can start in the first half of 2024, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal told Euractiv in an interview published on March 18.
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