"The European Commission recommends to the Council the opening of accession negotiations with Ukraine," the draft decision that the college of commissioners plans to adopt tomorrow at its weekly meeting states emphatically. The political message of support for the European future of the country, which has been defending itself from the war of aggression started by Russia for more than 20 months, is clear but is accompanied by some precautions, according to what community sources have told La Vanguardia.
Next, Brussels advises the European Council that it should only adopt the negotiating mandate with Kyiv, the key document in this process, "once several requirements have been met," these sources explain. Among the pending measures that we want to see adopted before moving forward in practical terms are reforms related to laws on minorities, a crucial issue for Hungary (it is estimated that there are some 150,000 people of Hungarian descent living in Ukraine) and, therefore , for the entire EU, because any decision in this area can only be taken unanimously.
This was agreed today in the preparatory contacts for the European Commission meeting that will take place tomorrow and in which a new report on the Ukrainian candidacy will be approved, which confirms that there are still some conditions to be met regarding the requirements that were raised. to the Government of Volodimir Zelenski a little over a year ago as a condition to be able to move forward and take a step as relevant as the opening of accession negotiations. This document will be the basis of the decision that the leaders of the Twenty-Seven will have to make at the European Council in December, the last summit of the year, on the possible start of accession talks with Kyiv.
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, visited Kyiv last weekend to meet with Zelensky and present to him the conclusions of the community services on the degree of preparation of her country to begin accession talks to the EU. Von der Leyen then said that the Ukrainian government had implemented "more than 90%" of the requested measures. The report presented this week concludes that Kyiv has fully met four of the seven conditions established in June 2022 to advance the process, while improvements still need to be made in the other three. The requirements that Brussels proposes to take into account for the Council when adopting the negotiating mandate are based on these conclusions but do not correspond exactly to them, say community sources.
According to the document advanced this morning by Radio Svoboda, the Ukrainian antenna of the Radio Free Europe station, Brussels approves the reform of the selection procedure for judges of the Constitutional Court; also the new controls on the integrity of candidates for members of the Superior Council of Justice and the creation of the Superior Commission for the Qualification of Judges, as well as the new legislation against money laundering with its corresponding strategic plan to reform the entire justice sector. affected by the law and, finally, the reform of the media law, in line with the European directive on audiovisual services.
On the contrary, the European Commission considers that decisions remain to be taken in the field of the fight against corruption (the appointment of a new head of the Specialized Prosecutor's Office and the director of the National Anti-Corruption Agency is expected). Kyiv is also expected to take steps to limit the power of oligarchs by passing a law on interest group action in line with European standards. Finally, the third section in which the Ukrainian Government has not yet done everything Brussels asked of it to be able to move forward is the legislation on national minorities; Many of the measures adopted, in accordance with the recommendations of the Venice Commission, have yet to be implemented, in particular those affecting laws on language, media and education.
During her visit to Kyiv, Von der Leyen expressed confidence that Ukraine can carry out pending reforms as soon as possible and meet Zelensky's goal of formally opening accession negotiations this year, in December. The formulation of the decision that the European Commission plans to adopt tomorrow gives European leaders room for maneuver to fulfill Ukrainian aspirations to formally open accession negotiations although in practice the process will not advance until it is considered that The Government has complied with several measures considered priorities.
Brussels will also propose opening accession negotiations with Moldova, the other large country in the region threatened by Russia, which was also granted candidate country status in June 2022. Georgia, on the other hand, remains one step behind, and the The European Commission does not yet propose to formally recognize it as an applicant for the Union, although it will make the path to get there a little more specific. At the moment, however, there is no consensus on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina; The last document raises the possibility of opening accession negotiations if it meets certain criteria, an approach that for some commissioners is insufficient and for others, excessive, given the lack of support for the process by the current Government. The final decision on the recommendation remains in the hands of the European commissioners and, ultimately, the leaders of the Twenty-seven.
