EU plans to ease accession rules for Ukraine — Espreso correspondent

Correspondent Tetiana Vysotska said this on Espreso.

“The EU wants to simplify accession rules for Ukraine. This is an initiative of European Council President António Costa, which he spoke about last year. The idea is that to open negotiation clusters, unanimity of all EU member states would not be required — only a qualified majority. If the EU’s basic laws can be interpreted in this way, Ukraine will be able to open negotiation clusters even despite vetoes from Orbán or Fico. This in turn means harmonizing Ukrainian legislation with European law and carrying out reforms,” Vysotska explained.

According to her, simplifying Ukraine’s accession procedure is indeed on the agenda.

“They are now discussing the legal interpretation of European law. Lawyers must confirm that closing a cluster requires unanimity, but opening a cluster does not require votes from all 27 EU members. This will be discussed, and the issue is truly on the agenda,” she added.

• On September 29, media reported that the European Commission is considering changing accession rules, as Hungary continues to block Ukraine’s progress.