Ukraine's progress is considerable: EU Council approves enlargement conclusions

This is stated in the EU's General Affairs Council’s conclusions on enlargement covering the six Western Balkans partners, Türkiye, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, and Georgia, Ukrinform reports.

“The Council reiterates the EU’s steadfast support for Ukraine and its EU accession path, and commends Ukraine’s commitment to the EU reform process. The Council welcomes the formal opening of the accession negotiations with Ukraine in June 2024 and the considerable reform progress made in the past year despite the exceptional challenges caused by Russia’s war of aggression,” the document says.

The European officials noted that the screening process is progressing according to plan and looks forward to its conclusion, and to the next steps in Ukraine’s accession process by “opening clusters, starting with the fundamentals cluster as soon as possible, when the conditions are met.”

“The Council remains committed to supporting Ukraine’s humanitarian needs, as well as repair, recovery and reconstruction, and welcomes the alignment between the Commission’s recommendations in its Ukraine report and the Ukraine Plan,” the document says.

The European ministers also positively noted the progress achieved in the important areas of rule of law and judicial and public administration reform, which remain important components of the EU accession process.

In particular, this relates to the ongoing renewal process of the judicial governance bodies, notably the High Council of Justice and the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine, and the Constitutional Court. At the same time, the ministers said look forward to the continued renewal process of the judiciary, notably the Supreme Court. The Council also welcomes Ukraine’s ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and invites Ukraine to take further steps to ensure full domestic alignment.

“The Council welcomes Ukraine's progress towards ensuring the independent and effective functioning of anti-corruption institutions. The Council encourages Ukraine to continue addressing remaining challenges and to further strengthen its anti-corruption institutional framework, limitations in the criminal procedure legislation, staffing constraints and the track record on high-level corruption cases. Additionally, the Council encourages Ukraine to further strengthen its financial investigations and anti-money laundering measures,” the document says.

The EU Council encourages Ukraine to continue its efforts to strengthen freedom of expression and media in line with the Commission’s recommendations, despite the existing challenges caused by Russia’s war of aggression.

According to the European ministers, such efforts should contribute to the continuation and gradual restoration of a transparent, pluralistic and independent media environment. Efforts to counter foreign interference and information manipulation must be in line with international standards on freedom of expression.

As reported, since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the EU and its Member States have continued to provide Ukraine with substantial political, economic, financial, humanitarian and military assistance.

Ukraine has been granted the status of an EU candidate country and has begun screening its national legislation for compliance with EU legal norms, which is part of the negotiation process towards full membership in the European Union.