Ukraine will not get "any discounts" on its way to EU membership – Estonian PM
Фото: Valitsuse pressibüroo / Flickr
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said Ukraine would not get "any discounts" on its way to EU membership and must fully implement all the requirements to start the accession talks.
Ukraine has fully completed only two out of seven steps outlined by the European Commission.
We supported the enlargement, and we told Ukraine and Moldova that you have to fulfill the criteria 100%. There will be no discounts for you, Kallas told a press conference before the June 29 summit of EU leaders.
Kallas added that "if both countries fulfill all the criteria, it would be fair to start negotiations" on Ukraine's accession to the EU.
They will not get any discounts like we didn't get any. These are difficult reforms, but they have to be fulfilled, she added.
Denmark's foreign minister also believes the EU should not "lower the bar" to speed up the accession of Ukraine and other candidate countries.
Earlier, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky pledged that Ukraine would fulfill all the criteria of the European Commission necessary to start negotiations on EU accession by the end of this year.
On Wednesday, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on the sidelines of the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London that it must put an end to 30 years of nepotism and corruption in order to become a member of the European Union.
The report to be presented by the European Commission to member states in Brussels this week on Kyiv's progress toward the EU will stress that Ukraine has made significant progress in implementing the reforms needed to start accession talks.
The EC's report on Ukraine is overall positive and aims to help Kyiv cope with its challenges. There are several of them, but Brussels does not consider them insurmountable.
Ukraine officially applied for EU membership in late February 2022, just days after Russia began bombing Kyiv and other cities, starting an all-out war against the country. Ukraine was granted candidacy status in June.
