Ursula von der Leyen: The EU is preparing for a new phase of negotiations with Ukraine
This is according to Euractiv.
The European Commission plans to put forward a proposal on 16 June to open the first negotiation chapter on Ukraine and Moldova’s accession to the European Union.
According to Euractiv, this will take place at a meeting of European affairs ministers in Brussels within the framework of the General Affairs Council.
A final decision could be taken by EU leaders at the European Council summit on 18 June. According to the publication, this timetable should allow for the political approval of the start of a new phase of negotiations just two days after the European Commission’s proposal.
What does the first cluster mean?
The first negotiation cluster concerns the core areas for EU membership.
It includes issues of democracy, the rule of law, the economy and state institutions.
It is this cluster that is opened first and closed last in the EU accession process.
According to Euractiv, the European Commission’s proposal will focus specifically on the first cluster, rather than the simultaneous opening of several areas, as Ukraine had previously insisted.
Why the process was blocked
The new stage of negotiations remained blocked for a long time due to Hungary’s position.
According to the publication, former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán repeatedly held up the progress of Ukraine’s application to join the EU.
The situation changed after the parliamentary elections. Hungary’s new Prime Minister, Péter Magyar, has not declared direct support for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union, but has adopted a more restrained stance.
It is expected that during his visit to Brussels, he will discuss the issue of unblocking European funds frozen for Hungary due to violations of EU rules under the previous government.
What the EU has said previously
Back in April, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos stated that negotiations on the first cluster could begin once the government transition in Hungary was complete.
According to Euractiv, other negotiation clusters for Ukraine and Moldova could open as early as July.
At the same time, discussions are ongoing in Europe regarding the format of Ukraine’s future membership. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz previously proposed the idea of “associated membership” for Ukraine without full voting rights in the EU.
In Kyiv, this proposal was rejected, with officials emphasising that Ukraine seeks full membership of the European Union. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the idea of associate membership as unfair, as it would not grant Ukraine a vote in EU institutions.
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