This week, the European Union (EU) formally Initiates the Procedure for Negotiations regarding Ukraine's Accession. The Official start will take place June 25th, at the First Intergovernmental Conference in Luxembourg.
Last week, the EU Approved a Negotiation Framework for Ukraine, which defines the Format and Order of Accession Negotiations to the Bloc.
Ukraine submitted its Application for Accession, less than a week after Russia's full-scale Invasion in February 2022. In June of that year, it was granted Candidate Status, and after fulfilling additional Conditions in December 2023, the European Commission recommended starting Negotiations.
The Start of Negotiations sends another Strong Signal of Solidarity with Ukraine, beyond Financial Support. The Negotiations will begin at 03:30 local time or 04:30 p.m. Kyiv time.
The Negotiation Framework consists of Three parts: Principles, Content, and Procedure.
The Draft for Ukraine is largely identical to the Negotiation Frameworks for Albania and North Macedonia in 2020, but takes into account the Context of the Russian Invasion.
According to Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine has set a Record in terms of the Time from Application to the Start of Negotiations.
For Comparison, current EU Members took longer to begin their Negotiation Processes: Estonia took Three years, Hungary Four, and Lithuania and Latvia each Five. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, called the Negotiation Framework a Historic Moment.
"This achievement, fought for at various levels, paves the way for the start of negotiations next week. These are truly historic moments. Ukraine is and will always be part of a united Europe," He emphasized.
Today, at the Meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, Kuleba assured that in the Future, Ukraine will make a significant Contribution to Collective Defense, Foreign Policy, Transition to Green Energy, Economic Development, and other areas.
The First Intergovernmental Conference Ukraine-EU will mark the Formal start of Accession Negotiations.
The Ukrainian Delegation will consist of 35 Individuals, including Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna as its Head.
Also, the Head of the Office of the President Andrii Yermak, First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Oleksandr Kornienko, as well as several other Government Officials and Experts will be included.
An Intergovernmental Conference, in EU Enlargement Policy, is an Official Negotiation Session between the Candidate Country and the Governments of EU Mmember States. It is Convened to Discuss and Agree on the Future Accession Treaty.
At the First Conference on June 25th, the Presentation of the Negotiating Delegations, the Negotiation Framework, and Ukraine's Negotiating Position are expected. "Next, we will start detailed technical negotiations on dozens of different chapters of the future agreement," said Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
Representing the EU at the Conference, will be Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Aja Lyabib, EU Commissioner for Enlargement, and European Neighborhood Policy Oliver Varhelyi. Member States will be represented at the Level of European Affairs Ministers. A Joint Press Conference will follow the Event.
According to Stefanishyna, the Accession process will be Lengthy. Along this path, Ukraine must fully adapt its Legislation, Legal system, and Economy to EU conditions. This includes ensuring Ukraine can operate within the EU's Internal Market without Barriers to the Movement of Citizens.
The next Stage is expected in July.
"During this time, we will assess the compliance of our legislation in a number of areas and understand our obligations," She stated.
In an Interview, She emphasized Her Role in Opening Negotiations. It's possible President Zelenskyy will Participate in the Ceremony, though it's unclear if He will do so in Person or Online.
A Survey earlier this year, indicated that Citizens of EU Countries generally Support Ukraine's Application but are skeptical about Accelerating the Process. According to Stefanishyna, Ukraine does Not seek special treatment and is Not "asking for any discounts."
"It’s a big day for everybody. It has been around two years since Ukraine applied for membership. The war is still raging on, but the accession is starting right now," She added.
As Deputy Head of the Office of the President Ihor Zhovkva informed, a New Model will be based on a Cluster approach.
"The Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union consists of 35 chapters, and a delegation will be established for each of them," He said.
Previously, in Negotiations with a Candidate Country, only One Chapter was opened at a time, and until it was Closed, others remained Unopened. The essence of the New approach is that Negotiations with Ukraine will Open simultaneously on several Chapters grouped into Clusters.
"We hope that the first cluster will be opened soon," emphasized the Deputy Head of the Office of the President, suggesting that Negotiations on Individual Chapters could be quite intense.
Negotiations on EU Accession are Not Negotiations in the classical sense. Their Goal from the Candidate's side, is to meet Membership Criteria; from the EU's side, it is to achieve Readiness to accept a New Member.
Before Opening the First Cluster, the European Commission must conduct a Screening and Submit a Report on Ukraine's Legislation Compliance with European Lw for each Custer. Based on this Rport, the Lvel of Compliance and the extent of Further Work will be understood.
Cluster #1, Fundamentals of the EU Accession Process, is pivotal throughout the Negotiations. It is opened Frst and closed Last, so achieving All Criteria for other Clusters like Internal Market, Competitiveness, Inclusive Market, Green Agenda, Resources, Agriculture, and Foreign Policy, does Not imply the Negotiations are Complete until Cluster #1 is Closed.
Delays or Regressions in meeting Criteria may lead to Penalties, such as Suspension of Negotiations in Specific areas or Altogether, Reduction in EU Funding, or Hhindrance to swift Integration, access to EU Programs, or Advantages in the European market.
The Duration of Preparation for both a Candidate Country and the EU itself for Accepting a New Member is Not defined in any Document. There are only Stages that each Country must go through.
Therefore, the Timeline depends on how quickly Ukraine meets the Membership Criteria and the Readiness of the EU and All its Members for Ukraine's Accession.
How long this Process will take is Uncertain. The Minimum Timeframe from the Start of Negotiations to accession was nearly Two years for Austria, Finland, and Sweden. Most Countries waited between 4 to 7 years.
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