The European Commission’s annual report on enlargement will be submitted around November 8, but this date is not fixed and may change, said Eric Mamer, spokesman for the EC.
As expected, the EU’s executive body should recommend the start of official negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU. At the same time, the EC will not give the final green light for the start of negotiations because the member states must agree to it unanimously. Currently, Ukraine has not completed the implementation of seven criteria and is persistently failing to implement legislation on politically exposed persons.
Meanwhile, EC Vice-President Vera Jourova has seen progress by Ukraine and Moldova in fulfilling membership criteria. However, she could not assess whether this progress was sufficient for the next stage.
“The EU has no other choice but to develop. We need to develop in the direction of Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia”, Jourova explained.