Talks from Tuesday

Ukraine and Moldova move closer to EU accession

The flags of the EU and Ukraine.

(Bild: APA/AFP/François WALSCHAERTS)

The EU accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova can begin as planned next Tuesday. On Friday, the EU Council of Ministers formalized an agreement reached the previous week on the so-called negotiating frameworks, as announced by the Belgian EU Council Presidency. These set out the guidelines for the accession talks. The first round of negotiations is to be held on Tuesday in Luxembourg on the fringes of an EU ministerial meeting.

The EU states' positive decision to start negotiations was based on an analysis by the EU Commission. This had come to the conclusion that Ukraine and Moldova had fulfilled all the requirements for the start of EU accession negotiations. These included measures to combat corruption, improve the protection of national minorities and limit the political influence of oligarchs.

All reform requirements had to be met before negotiations could begin
The start of accession talks with Ukraine, which is under attack from Russia, and its small neighbor Moldova had already been agreed in principle at an EU summit in December. At the same time, however, it was agreed that all reform requirements must be met before negotiations can begin.

For the people of Ukraine, the opening of EU accession negotiations is above all an important sign that it is worth continuing the defensive struggle against Russia. How long it could take to join the EU after the start of talks is completely open. Turkey, for example, became an EU candidate back in 1999 - and is currently further away from membership than any other candidate country, partly due to setbacks in the rule of law.

Ukraine unlikely to join the EU before the end of the war
Theoretically, a candidate country can never become a member. In the case of Ukraine, it is currently considered impossible that it will become an EU member before the end of the Russian war of aggression. This is because Kiev could then call for military assistance under Article 42, paragraph 7 of the EU Treaty and the EU would be a party to the war.