The European Commission on Wednesday opened formal accession talks with Ukraine, bloc’s executive body said, adding that detailed negotiations would likely begin next year.
The European Commission, EU’s executive arm, said that the invitation has also been extended to Moldova, and added that they have granted candidate status to Georgia.
“Today is a historic day because today the commission recommends that the council opens accession negotiations with Ukraine and with Moldova,” European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said.
The announcement is a major shot in the arm of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whose ambitions to integrate Kyiv have been stalled by the EU’s stringent regulations in combating corruption and eliminating oligarchs’ influence.
Zelensky applied for EU membership in February 2022, shortly before Russia invaded his country.
EU wants Ukraine to fight corruption
In a statement, the bloc noted Ukraine’s drawbacks and said that talks would formally launch once Ukraine satisfies the remaining conditions regarding stepping up the fight against corruption.
Accordingly, Kyiv is also expected to adopt a law on lobbying in line with EU standards, as well as strengthen national minority safeguards.
Zelensky later lauded the EU’s recommendations to open membership talks with Ukraine, calling it a “right step in history”.
“Ukrainians deserve this both for their protection of European values, and for the fact that even at times of a full-scale war, we keep our word by developing state institutions,” he said on Telegram messenger.
However, experts argue that Zelensky’s path to EU membership won’t be as smooth as expected since the conditions listed by the bloc are unlikely to be met any time soon as it is currently at war with Russia.
Can Ukraine become EU member?
The European Commission said in a statement, “The Ukrainian government and Parliament demonstrated resolve in making substantial progress on meeting the 7 steps” required for negotiations to open.
European top diplomats, while welcoming the decision, harped on Ukraine’s ability to fight corruption.
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström said that Kyiv “belongs in the European family,” but added that corruption in the country was a “scourge that needs to be tackled.”
The proposal on membership talks would now be taken up by EU leaders during a summit on December 14-15, where it will be decided to whether to accept the commission’s recommendation.
(With inputs from agencies)
