The EU recognizes the "considerable" effort of Ukraine on its way to accession

The EU summit with Ukraine held this Friday in Kyiv, marked by the activation of anti-aircraft alarms in the Ukrainian capital, has concluded with a message of rapprochement between Brussels and Kyiv.

Thomas Osborne
Thomas Osborne
03 February 2023 Friday 08:37
16 Reads
The EU recognizes the "considerable" effort of Ukraine on its way to accession

The EU summit with Ukraine held this Friday in Kyiv, marked by the activation of anti-aircraft alarms in the Ukrainian capital, has concluded with a message of rapprochement between Brussels and Kyiv. A statement from the European Union has stressed that Ukraine is making "considerable efforts" to achieve "the objectives on which its status as a candidate for EU membership is based", which was granted in record time in June of the year past, after the start of the Russian invasion in February.

"The EU has recognized the considerable efforts that Ukraine has made in recent months to meet the objectives on which its status as a candidate for EU membership is based, has welcomed Ukraine's reform efforts in such difficult times and has encouraged the country to continue on this path," said community leaders and the President of Ukraine in a joint statement after the EU summit with this country that was held today in Kyiv.

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, together with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodimir Zelenski, indicated in this joint text that the EU will continue to "support greater European integration of Ukraine" and will decide the next steps "once all the conditions" of the latest Brussels opinion on the matter are fully met.

Ukraine, for its part, underlined its "determination to fulfill the necessary requirements to start accession negotiations as soon as possible." Brussels plans to report on how it assesses compliance with these conditions in the fall of this year, as part of its regular report on the bloc's enlargement, although it will also provide a first update in the spring.

"The comprehensive and coherent implementation of the judicial reforms remains vital to strengthen Ukraine's resilience and to advance the enlargement process," the joint statement said.

Likewise, the text applauds a "greater alignment" of kyiv with European foreign and security policies, the progress towards the "independent and effective" operation of the fight against corruption and the adaptation of its legislation on the media to the European standard. . "The EU stands ready to continue to assist Ukraine in its reform efforts and its implementation," the statement said.

In trade matters, Brussels and kyiv also pledged to take advantage of the existing Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area to promote "strengthened economic and trade relations that lead to Ukraine's integration into the EU's internal market."

Brussels, which values ​​positively the effect that the suspension of all tariffs on imports from Ukraine in the EU has had, assured that it will "study" the possibility of extending this exception, in force since June.