Following a ministerial meeting in Brussels on Tuesday evening, the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union announced that Ukraine and Moldova could expect a swift initiation of negotiations to join the EU.
The Presidency is planning to organize the first conference for the negotiating delegations by the end of June.
Hungary is set to take over the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU from Belgium in July. Belgian Foreign Minister Hajat Lahbib expressed optimism about reaching an agreement to move to the next phase of negotiations.
She stated, “We are doing our utmost to reach an agreement that allows us to move to the next stage.”
Negotiations could start within the next 40 days, but before the accession talks can begin, all EU member states must unanimously approve the so-called negotiating frameworks.
The initiation of negotiations with Ukraine, which is currently facing aggression from Russia, and its smaller neighbor Moldova was agreed upon in principle at the EU summit last December.
However, it was also agreed that all reform requirements must be met before negotiations can commence.
Minister Lahbib did not explicitly comment on Tuesday evening about whether there are still deficiencies, but she noted, “Ukraine and Moldova continue their reform processes.”
Starting the EU accession negotiations is a significant symbol for the peoples of Ukraine and Moldova, although the accession process can sometimes take decades.
EU nations have unanimously agreed on a plan to allocate the profits derived from Russian sovereign assets, which are currently frozen, to aid Ukraine. This agreement could channel as much as €3 billion to Ukraine by the end of this year alone, focusing primarily on military support and reconstruction efforts.
In February, the European Commission declared the provision of €83 million in humanitarian assistance to aid those impacted by the conflict in Ukraine instigated by Russia.
