In May, the European Commission will present the first evaluation of Ukraine’s fulfillment of the candidate criteria for membership.

Kyiv plans to complete the implementation of most of them by that time, said Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Olga Stefanishyna. In addition, before the assessment presentation a discussion between the EU member states and Ukraine will occur in March. Stefanishyna said that on March 20, she will participate in an informal EU Council meeting on general issues, where seven recommendations will be discussed and a specific date for the assessment presentation will be determined. The official EU assessment was expected to be presented in October, but the European Commission has agreed to give an interim oral evaluation in the spring to identify problematic points.