The European Union confirmed that it will start the talks for the accession of Ukraine and Moldova the next June 25thafter this Friday the leaders of the member countries reached an agreement in principle on the frameworks of the conversations to be developed.
“The ambassadors agreed in principle on the negotiating frameworks for the accession of Ukraine and Moldova. The Belgian Presidency will convene the first intergovernmental conferences on June 25,” they confirmed from Brussels, which had set the end of the month as the deadline for this announcement, before it is their turn to deliver the rotating presidency that flaunts Hungary.
“This is another historic moment and another clear sign of our total and firm commitment to Ukraine”they added.
They added, however, that this is just a first step since the news must obtain formal validation from the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (Ecofin) next Friday, while the Netherlands must obtain the approval of its Parliament. national to be able to authorize the start of negotiations.
The accession of Ukraine and Moldova to the European bloc has been under negotiation for some time given that the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbanwas until this Friday against the initiative because it was the Russia’s main ally in the EU. From Budapest they maintained that kyiv had to “restore” the rights of the Magyar minority in the country as a condition for giving its approval.
However, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyensaid during his speech at the Conference for the Reconstruction of Ukraine last Tuesday that both nations had given rise to their demands and, therefore, there was no longer any reason to continue delaying the talks. For example, the Zelensky Executive took concrete actions to fight corruption, such as hiring more people to combat it and improving the verification process for funds. Also, he regulated the role of pressure groups in an attempt to end the influence of the country’s oligarchs and amended “relevant laws” on minorities so that they can now receive a school education.
Meanwhile, Chisinau managed “significant progress” on anti-corruption through the regulation of cash payments, at the same time that it established “Transparent” criteria for the appointment of Supreme Court judges.
“Ukraine has fulfilled all the steps we requested. Thus we believe that the European Union should begin accession negotiations now with Ukraine, at the end of the month,” Von der Leyen indicated.
Likewise, the EU proposed this Friday adding more sanctions against Russia as a condemnation for the war that began in February 2022, although it did not obtain full approval of this fourteenth package due to the lack of unanimous consensus.
“One Member State asked for more time. We respect it and the point of sanctions is postponed. We will return to it as soon as possible,” said diplomatic sources close to the case, who specified that the hesitant country was Germany.
However, it is expected that it will be only a minor delay and that it will be debated again next week, at a new meeting of the ambassadors.
The package in question focuses on the Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) refueling and transfer in European posts, which mostly reaches EU countries through terminals in Belgium, France and Spain.
(With information from EFE)
