European Commissioner rules out possibility of Ukraine's accelerated accession to EU saying rules are same for everyone

The Hungarian diplomat, European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy Olivér Várhelyi said this, Die Welt reports.

Várhelyi stressed that Ukraine wants to speed up reforms and the work necessary for this. And this is positive. But not all seven reforms can be completed quickly. Therefore, it is not yet possible to establish a timetable for the start of negotiations. 

It is noted that even if Kyiv manages to start the negotiation procedure by the end of 2023, Brussels has rejected the goal of completing it within a year.

Given the extensive work required to prepare for participation in the EU's internal market and many other important policy areas, the entire preparations for accession are likely to take more than a year or two, according to the European Commissioner.

According to the German publication, the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Olha Stefanishyna believes that the European Union can act faster and not apply the "normal procedure" to our country for the sake of the "moral state of Ukrainians".

However, Olivér Várhelyi rejects the possibility of an accelerated procedure for Ukraine's accession to the EU.

The European Commissioner said that the same criteria apply to Ukraine as to all other applicants.