The European Commission provided a positive verbal evaluation on the progress of European integration reforms by both Ukraine and Moldova, as outlined in the November report on EU enlargement.
The EC reports that Ukraine has fulfilled the reform requirements necessary for the start of accession negotiations, and now it is up to the member states to adopt the framework of the talks. Kyiv has achieved the criteria required in the specified areas, anti-corruption, control over political lobbying, transparency of the officials’ wealth, and ensuring the rights of national minorities.
The EC will recommend starting negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU in June before Hungary takes over the bloc’s presidency. Ukraine is also expecting the start of membership negotiations this month.
The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, announced preliminary plans to hold an intergovernmental conference, which is considered the beginning of EU accession negotiations, on June 25 in Luxembourg.