Will Ukraine manage to implement 4 recommendations of the EU Commission by December - Minister's answer
Ukraine's Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Olha Stefanishyna (Photo: RBC-Ukraine, Vitalii Nosach)
The four additional points for Ukraine's entry into the EU, as defined by the European Commission, are only recommendations that the European Council may or may not heed. They are not related to the political decision that will be made at the December summit, according to Ukraine's Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Olha Stefanishyna, during a joint press conference with the EU Ambassador to Ukraine, Katarina Mathernova.
Stefanishyna mentioned that the four points identified by the European Commission are technical and have nothing to do with the seven key reform recommendations.
"To be clear, these four points are just a recommendation that the European Council may or may not listen to. These points have no connection to the political decision that will be made in December," explained the minister.
Ukraine's accession to the EU
In 2022, Ukraine obtained candidate status for EU membership. However, to become a member of the EU, Ukraine must fulfill seven conditions. According to Reuters, Ukraine has met two of the seven conditions necessary to initiate negotiations for EU accession.
Previously, Ukraine's Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Olha Stefanishyna, mentioned that achieving two conditions is a very good result. She reminded that some Western Balkan countries "take years to make progress, and meeting one recommendation is essentially a national celebration."
On November 7, media outlets revealed details of a secret document from the European Commission regarding Ukraine. According to journalists, the EC considers four out of seven criteria for starting negotiations on Ukraine's EU accession to be fully met.
European Commission report
On November 8, the European Commission published a progress report on Ukraine and other candidate countries on the path to EU membership. The Commission recommended starting accession negotiations with Ukraine.
For such negotiations to begin, a consensus is required from all 27 EU member countries. The leaders of the states are expected to address this issue at the summit on December 14.
