EU plans to begin accession negotiations with Ukraine in June – Politico
Photo: Shoppingpl.com
Brussels officials insist on starting official talks on Ukraine's accession to the European Union already in June.
Politico writes about this.
The publication claims to have spoken with five diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity.
According to interlocutors familiar with the matter, Brussels officials insist on starting formal negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the European Union as early as next month.
They reported that intensive work is currently underway to convince the Hungarian government to agree to the start of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU.
It is proposed that official negotiations on Ukraine's accession should start as early as June 25.
The publication's interlocutors are convinced that this will lift Ukraine's morale, as the country is resisting Russian aggression.
It is also reported that Ukraine and the EU are negotiating with Budapest to resolve the problems of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine.
After the talks in April between the head of the President's Office, Andriy Yermak, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary, Peter Szijjarto, "the parties noted the positive dynamics of the dialogue." According to one of the diplomats, Kyiv reacted to Budapest's list of 11 points and is waiting for Hungary's response.
One EU diplomat suggested that Hungary might consider concluding Ukraine's discussions for joining the EU before they assume the EU Council presidency for six months starting in July.
"There was a feeling that this should not be done before the elections to the European Parliament [on June 9], as it could become a pre-election issue," said an EU diplomat, echoing the sentiment among many Brussels officials.
"Now we are looking for that time in June. If you are Hungarian, you would like it [discussions on Ukraine's EU membership] to end before the presidency," the diplomat said.
After EU leaders have given Kyiv political support, the next step in the accession process is the start of formal negotiations through an intergovernmental conference with Ukraine. This will mean the opening of membership negotiations.
The EU countries must agree on the so-called negotiating framework for this to happen. Twenty-seven capitals have been negotiating the document since the European Commission sent it in March.
So far, the talks are going well at the technical level, the two diplomats said, and they expect a new draft to be sent to EU ambassadors in the coming weeks so they can iron out the most pressing issues.
Ukraine and its supporters in the EU are calling for an intergovernmental conference between Brussels and Kyiv before Hungary takes over the rotating presidency of the EU Council on July 1.
At the same time, according to diplomats, Hungary is interested in a successful presidency of the EU Council. The Belgians, who currently hold the rotating presidency, are also trying to convince Hungary that this is in their political interest as well, especially given that Hungary can use one of several methods to block Ukraine from joining the EU if it chooses.
Belgian officials have already scheduled an intergovernmental conference for June 25, days before Budapest takes over the EU presidency on July 1. But "as always, it is impossible to predict what Hungary will do until we hear from Orbán himself," one of the diplomats said.
For reference:
It should be noted that the head of the EU representation in Ukraine, Katarina Mathernova, previously expressed her belief that Ukraine is ready to start negotiations on joining the European Union. The head of the EU mission in Kyiv hopes for their start at the end of June.
In addition, on May 1, the 20th anniversary of the largest expansion in the European Union's history, the head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, noted in his statement that candidate countries, including Ukraine, have a historic opportunity to build strong relations with the European Union.
Also, the presidents of the three Baltic countries, in a joint statement for the 20th anniversary of Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia's membership in the EU, called for holding intergovernmental conferences with Ukraine and Moldova and for starting accession negotiations with them in June 2024.
As Rubryka wrote, on March 12, it became known that the European Commission had prepared a negotiating framework for Ukraine and Moldova's membership in the EU. Now, it will begin to be discussed among the EU member states.
The Office of the President noted that Ukraine has fulfilled more than 90% of the European Commission's recommendations.
It is worth adding that the European Union envoy to Ukraine, Katarina Mathernova, considers Ukraine's accession to the EU in 2030 quite real.
