Ambassadors from the 27 European Union countries gave their “agreement in principle” on Friday to the opening of formal accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, which will begin on June 25, the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU announced.
“Agreement in principle”
“The ambassadors gave their agreement in principle on the framework for the accession negotiations of Ukraine and Moldova. The Belgian Presidency will convene the first intergovernmental conferences on June 25,” the source said.
This decision must be formally validated at a meeting of European ministers on June 21. And in the Netherlands, approval by Parliament is necessary.
The heads of state and government of the European Union had opened the way for such accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova in mid-December.
But Hungary had previously held back the formal opening of these accession negotiations with Ukraine, judging that the conditions were not met.
Fight against corruption
The European Commission judged on June 7 that Ukraine and Moldova had fulfilled all the preconditions for the opening of formal negotiations.
The European executive had demanded measures from kyiv to combat corruption and the influence of oligarchs. The Commission had also requested better consideration of minorities, a measure insistently demanded by Budapest, due to the presence of a Hungarian community in Ukraine.
In June 2022, the EU granted candidate status to Ukraine, in a highly symbolic gesture a few months after the start of the war unleashed by Moscow, as well as to neighboring Moldova.
The opening of negotiations is a step in a long and arduous accession process. The possible entry into the EU of Ukraine, a country of more than 40 million inhabitants and an agricultural power, poses many difficulties, starting with financing.
This article is originally published on .ledauphine.com
