Recent Posts
- Ukraine recovery should be based on development of territorial communities, innovations, involvement of professional domestic community – results of ESUR forum 29.06.2023
- Ukraine repatriates five more seriously wounded Russian POWs 10.04.2023
- Rada intends to include history of Ukraine, foreign language in final certification for general secondary education 10.04.2023
- Rada terminates protocol on joint anti-terrorist measures in CIS territories for Ukraine 10.04.2023
- 100 Ukrainians, incl defenders of Mariupol, returned according to swap procedure – Yermak 10.04.2023
Shmyhal: By end of 2023 we want to be ready for negotiations on EU membership, by end of 2024 we want to be ready for it
KYIV. Feb 2 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal says that by the end of 2023 Ukraine wants to be ready for negotiations on full membership in the EU, and by the end of 2024 – ready for EU membership.
"Ukraine’s efforts were positively assessed by representatives of the European Commission. We expect that in the spring the European Commission will provide formalized conclusions on our progress, and at the end of 2023 will make a recommendation to the European Council regarding the start of negotiations on EU accession," Shmyhal said at a press conference following a joint meeting of the Government of Ukraine and the European Commission in Kyiv on Thursday.
The Prime Minister said that all seven points of the recommendations of the European Commission have either been implemented or have significant progress and there is an understanding when they will be implemented.
"An oral assessment in the spring will give us an understanding of whether we have completed the implementation of these seven points, and whether we can work on the analysis of 35 sections of future negotiations in the summer," the prime minister said.
Shmyhal noted that the issue of Ukraine’s accession to the EU will be a process of discussion and it may take some time.
"When I say that Ukraine has an ambition to be ready to join in two years, it means that we want to take all the necessary steps to put on the table for our European partners the fulfillment of all conditions for granting Ukraine the status of a member of the European Union, this is our homework," he said.
The Prime Minister stressed that the task of Ukraine is to do everything so that there are no questions to it at the time of the EU accession discussion.
The Prime Minister added that during 2023 Ukraine wants to implement all the recommendations in order to start accession negotiations.
"By the end of the year we want to be ready for negotiations, and by the end of the next year we want to be ready for membership," Shmyhal stated.
The Prime Minister also noted that Ukraine expects that on February 3 it will receive political approval of the priority action plan for the enhanced implementation of the free trade area with the EU for 2023-2024.
In addition, according to the Prime Minister, the consultations held on Thursday give confidence that Ukraine can count on rapid movement in the field of sectoral accession to the EU markets.