European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Lucerne, Switzerland, June 16, 2024. MICHAEL BUHOLZER / AFP
The member states of the European Union are now all in agreement. The EU-27 is due to validate the framework for negotiations on Ukraine and Moldova’s accession to the European Union (EU) at a meeting of the Council of Economics Ministers on Friday, June 21. According to the Belgian EU Presidency, the accession conferences with these two countries – which will officially launch the process – will be held on Tuesday, June 25.
With the war still raging in Ukraine and Western military aid still arriving in dribs and drabs, this commitment is very important for its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, who has been calling for a clear sign from the EU-27 since January. In December 2023, heads of state and government agreed to open these negotiations following the well-timed exit from the boardroom of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who long opposed the decision. Kyiv still had to meet a series of conditions concerning the fight against corruption and protection of minorities, which have since been met, according to the Commission.
The process comes just a few days before Hungary takes over the six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union on July 1. On Tuesday, June 18, Hungarian Minister for European Affairs Janos Boka indicated that opening negotiation chapters with Ukraine over the next six months would not be feasible. “Hungary has been constructive on this issue because it’s hoping not to have to deal with it,” said Engjellushe Morina, a specialist at the European Council on Foreign Relations research center. “It wants to focus on enlarging the EU across the western Balkan states.”
Read more Subscribers only In Hungary, the city of Győr has seen both EU successes and dashed hopes ‘No preferential treatment’
The absence of Hungarian support should not pose any immediate problems. Starting from June 25, the European Commission will need to review all Ukrainian laws to ensure they are aligned with the EU’s laws and regulations, covering a wide range of areas such as the rule of law, single market, agriculture, and energy. Thirty-five chapters covering all these sectors will be the subject of discussion. To join the EU, Kyiv will have to comply with all of them.
This first stage can take up to a year, as was the case for Albania. “It is only after this phase that the Council will be called upon to take the first decisions to open negotiations on subsets of negotiation chapters,” said a European diplomat, placing this well after the Hungarian presidency. After that, the EU-27 will have to unanimously approve each step towards accession – 70 votes, at the very least, all taken unanimously, with member states having the same number of opportunities to veto a decision.
You have 52.88% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.
Source link : https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2024/06/21/european-union-approves-opening-of-formal-accession-negotiations-with-ukraine_6675304_4.html
Author :
Publish date : 2024-06-20 21:18:01
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.