The European Commission recommends opening negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU

The European Commission has recommended that EU member states begin negotiations on accession to the EU with Ukraine, but Kyiv must implement further reforms. This was announced by the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, at a briefing in Brussels.

Von der Leyen stated that Ukraine has implemented over 90% of the recommendations put forth by the EC.

"On this basis, we recommended today that the Council initiate accession negotiations. We also recommend that the Council approve the negotiating framework when Ukraine completes ongoing reforms," she said.

 

Von der Leyen added that the EC will provide a report on this matter in March 2024. She praised Ukraine for continuing reforms despite a full-scale war.

"The main progress has been made in constitutional reform, judicial reform, the selection process for the High Council of Justice, anti-corruption processes, combating money laundering, significant measures to limit the influence of oligarchs on public life, a new media law, progress on national minorities. The remaining reforms are being implemented, and that's good," she said.

In the report published by the EC, it is stated that the Commission recommends the Council adopt a negotiating framework after Ukraine:

• Adopts the government-proposed law to increase the staffing of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine:
• Removes from the anti-corruption prevention law provisions limiting the powers of the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NAZK) regarding the verification of assets that have already undergone the verification process and restrictions on NAZK's powers to check the property acquired by declarants before entering public service, without compromising the rules applied to ensure national security during wartime;
• Adopts a law regulating lobbying according to European standards as part of the anti-oligarchic action plan;
• Adopts a law addressing the remaining recommendations of the Venice Commission from June 2023 and October 2023 related to the law on national minorities, and considers the Venice Commission's recommendations related to laws on state language, media, and education.

Ukraine should continue the fight against corruption through further investigations and convictions for corruption.

The project «Ukraine: realities» is implemented by the News agency «Konkurent» together with the Civic Movement «SVIDOMI» in English for readers from other countries to tell the stories of people who survived the horrors of the Russian occupation.

Проєкт «Ukraine: realities» реалізовується Інформаційним агентством «Конкурент» спільно з Громадянським Рухом «СВІДОМІ» на англійській мові для читачів з інших країн аби розповісти історії людей, які пережили жахи російської окупації.