A separate European Commissioner will handle EU enlargement; Stefanishyna presents Ukraine’s negotiation plan for next year.

In the renewed geostrategic conditions, EU enlargement has become a way to strengthen its international positions, so in the new composition of the EC, a separate European Commissioner will take care of enlargement issues, said EC President Ursula von der Leyen.

“The enlarged EU gives us a stronger voice in the world. The larger single market increases our competitiveness and weight as a trading partner. It gives us the tools to respond to unfair competition. It gives us greater collective purchasing power. A strong, competitive, and secure Europe includes Ukraine and Moldova,” Von der Leyen stressed.

The Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Olha Stefanishyna, noted that in 2025 the EU is planning to hold negotiations on the “fundamental rules” of Ukraine’s accession to the bloc.

“We need to be legally ready to become part of the single market and meet the political criteria of the rule of law,” Stefanishyna explained.

Ukraine is expected to move to the finalizing stage for the negotiating positions in all sections.