Ukrainian parliament urges EU to initiate accession talks

The Ukrainian parliament has contacted the EU concerning the state's prospective accession. Members of parliament are urging Brussels to give the "green light" for accession negotiations at the upcoming summit on December 15, according to the parliament's website.

With the backing of 292 members of parliament, the Council has reached out to the parliaments, governments of EU countries, and EU bodies, urging them to commence accession negotiations with Ukraine.

The Parliament called for continued support for the Ukrainian people in their struggle for state sovereignty, restoration of its territorial integrity within the internationally recognized border, European values, democracy, and pluralism, the right of nations to freely choose the path of their development, and human and civil rights and fundamental freedoms.

The Verkhovna Rada appealed to the European parliaments to support Ukraine's macro-financial stability during the full-scale aggression by adopting the Ukraine Facility proposed by the European Commission.

The Parliament also called for an increase in military assistance to Ukraine at the national level and within the European Peace Facility based on a coordinated needs assessment to strengthen the country's defense capabilities.

On November 8, the European Commission officially recommended that EU states start negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU.

The EU institution presented a report on Ukraine's progress in 2023 with further recommendations, such as the need to implement all the recommendations of the Venice Commission regarding national minorities, namely to make some changes to the legislation on the state language, media, and education.

The President's Office recently noted that Ukraine has implemented more than 90% of the European Commission's recommendations.

The Hungarian government is threatening to block the start of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU, claiming that the rights of Hungarians in Ukraine are being violated.