On Tuesday June 25, the European Union officially launched accession negotiations with Ukraine, a step described as“historical” both in Brussels and in kyiv. “A strong Ukraine is not possible without the EU, and a strong EU is not possible without Ukraine either”declared Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Chmyhal at the opening of negotiations in Luxembourg as part of an Intergovernmental Conference (IGC).
Read also | Live, war in Ukraine: kyiv orders the evacuation of children in five villages close to the front, in the Donetsk region
Add to your selections
“Historic moment” for the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, “historic day” for President Volodymyr Zelensky: there was no shortage of superlatives to greet the opening of these impatiently awaited negotiations in kyiv, more than two years after the start of the Russian invasion.
“The accession negotiations that we are opening today will be rigorous and demanding. With determination and commitment, we are confident in your ability to reach a positive conclusion”declared Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib, whose country currently chairs the Council of the EU, which brings together member states.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, whose mandate is about to be renewed, also welcomed a ” good news “. Only Hungary was keen to point out, with a much less positive tone, that Ukraine was still ” very far “ to meet all the criteria before being able to join the EU, according to the Hungarian Minister of European Affairs, Janos Boka.
The start of a long process
The opening of these talks is the result of a hard-won agreement by twenty-six EU countries, who were forced to compete in ingenuity to convince the 27e, the Hungary of Viktor Orban, opposed to any discussion of accession with Ukraine. The Hungarian leader had to physically leave the table at the summit of Twenty-Seven leaders in December for the other leaders to approve the opening of negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova.
The next step, after the opening of an IGC with Moldova, will be a review of the legislation in Ukraine and Moldova to check whether it is compatible with that of the EU. In Ukraine, “90% of people support us, we will make the reforms” required, assured Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Olga Stefanishyna, present in Luxembourg. However, it will take several weeks, even several months, before the different negotiation chapters are actually opened.
And it is unlikely that they will be before the end of this year: Hungary, again, takes 1is July the six-monthly presidency of the Council of the EU, which brings together the ministers of the Twenty-Seven and organizes the work agenda. “Ukraine will be a member of the European Union, and we will be able to complete everything before 2030,” still assures Olga Stefanishyna.
