European Commission considers opening accession talks with Ukraine: a major boost for the embattled nation

UKRAINE - In Brief 23 Sep 2023 by Dmytro Boyarchuk

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Bloomberg has reported that the European Commission is likely to recommend opening accession negotiations with Ukraine by the end of 2023. If this information is confirmed, it will be exceptionally positive news and a significant boost for Ukraine. Although Ukraine was granted candidate status in June of last year, a significant portion of EU members remain skeptical about Ukraine's EU prospects. The prevailing view in Brussels is that it won't be a fast-track process. However, the Commission is striving to strike a balance between signaling that there will be no shortcuts for Kyiv and encouraging the Ukrainian leadership to expedite reforms, thereby making progress on the path towards European integration. The European Commission has identified seven post-candidate conditions that are expected to be met before negotiations can officially begin. These pre-conditions are primarily related to the rule of law and encompass requirements such as reforming the Constitutional Court, undertaking judicial reform, combating corruption, addressing money laundering, implementing anti-oligarch legislation, harmonizing legislation on media, and amending legislation on national minorities. Recently, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, publicly stated that Ukraine is making significant progress with its reforms. By December, it's highly likely that all seven post-candidate conditions will be recognized as successfully met. While the initiation of accession negotiations with the EU would undoubtedly be another significant achievement for Ukraine, the subsequent journey of complying with the EU's requirements, especially those concerning the rule of law, will...