EU accession: Ukraine to receive negotiation recommendation with possible additional conditions

Reuters reported the information.

According to three sources within the EU, on November 8, the EU's executive body, the European Commission, is set to release a report evaluating Ukraine's compliance with the criteria necessary for seeking membership. This report will serve as a pivotal moment for the 27-nation bloc to determine whether it is ready to start accession negotiations with Kyiv.

"Kyiv is expected to get a positive recommendation, possibly under additional conditions related to fighting graft and the rights of minorities, the latter issue having been raised by Hungary," the article says.

The report will be published as part of the annual assessment of the Brussels-based European Commission, which analyzes in detail the state of affairs in the candidate countries in terms of compliance with the necessary economic, legal and other standards.

On December 14-15, the EU summit will decide whether to start membership talks with Ukraine, which are important for Kyiv in the conflict with Russia.

The EU may also give a favorable assessment to Moldova, which is also competing with Russia for influence in the region. Georgia, on the other hand, is waiting for the EU to decide whether to grant it candidate status, which Ukraine received last June after Russia's invasion.

EU enlargement requires the consent of all 27 member states, which could be a problem for the Western Balkans, according to EU officials and diplomats. Instead, the region may receive more funding under the new EU budget, which is to be approved at a December summit.

The European Commission is proposing to allocate EUR 50 billion to support Ukraine through 2027, as well as 15 billion to control illegal migration. Some EU member states have also asked for an increase in the budget for dealing with natural disasters such as fires and floods, the sources said.

Ukraine's accession to the EU

Kyiv applied for EU membership on February 28, 2022, at the start of Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine.

On June 23, 2022, Ukraine was granted candidate status for EU membership.

In May, Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that Ukraine should be ready to join the EU in two years – the country expects to receive a political decision to start accession negotiations this year.

During a speech in parliament on Constitution Day, President Zelenskyy proposed five points of the Ukrainian Doctrine for discussion.

According to Espreso's sources, the European Parliament is considering the possibility of starting negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU this fall.

However, on August 17, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna said that Ukraine would not be able to implement all 7 EU recommendations by October, as these are changes that have been implemented over the years.

The next day, Maria Mezentseva, Deputy Head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Ukraine's Integration with the EU, noted that it is necessary to wait for the October report of the European Commission on the implementation of 7 EU recommendations by Ukraine.

On August 28, European Council President Charles Michel said that the European Union should be ready to accept new member states by 2030. The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, expressed support for setting a tentative time frame for new members to join the EU.

On September 8, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said that negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU should begin by the end of this year. According to him, clear European perspective will inspire Ukrainians on the battlefield.

On September 21, the head of the Servant of the People parliamentary faction, Davyd Arakhamia, said that the Ukrainian parliament has passed 99.9% of what is needed to start negotiations on EU membership.