The Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament has officially supported the start of negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union.
This was stated by the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola at a joint press conference with the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk.
She noted that the Conference of Presidents, a body that brings together the leadership of the European Parliament and its political groups, has publicly called for the European Council to approve the start of negotiations in December.
On Tuesday, November 28, this body met with the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk.
– Україна… докладає неймовірних зусиль (на шляху реформ, – Ред.), щоб усунути будь-які заперечення для відкриття переговорів щодо членства у неймовірно складних обставинах. І, як Європарламент, ми сподіваємося і розраховуємо на позитивне рішення Європейської ради в грудні, – наголосила Метсола.
In the communiqué of the Conference of Presidents, the leaders of the political groups of the European Parliament reaffirmed their commitment to Ukraine’s membership in the EU. It is noted that this is a “geostrategic investment in a united and strong Europe.”
– The Conference of Presidents reaffirms its strong support for the European Council’s decision to grant Ukraine candidate status in 2022 and welcomes the European Commission’s positive recommendation of November 8, 2023 to open accession negotiations with Ukraine. We expect that the recommendation will be confirmed by the European Council at its meeting in December,” the communiqué says.
It is noted that the Conference of Presidents believes in the continuation of all necessary reforms in Ukraine to complete the implementation of the European Commission’s recommendations. This will allow for the opening of EU accession negotiations as soon as possible.
The communiqué also states that Ukraine “is and will remain a priority for the European Parliament”. Our country can count on “tireless efforts and readiness to support the legitimate ambitions and aspirations of the Ukrainian people.”
The leaders of the European Parliament’s political groups plan to strengthen cooperation with the Verkhovna Rada in 2024.
European Commission’s opinion on Ukraine
On November 8, the European Commission recommended starting negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU. President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said that Kyiv had completed 90% of the necessary steps.
At the same time, the European Commission’s report contains several recommendations that Ukraine needs to implement. These include adopting a law to increase the NABU staff; removing restrictions on the NACP’s powers; adopting a law that will regulate lobbying; and implementing all the Venice Commission’s recommendations on legislation on national minorities.
Recently, the Verkhovna Rada supported two of these draft laws in the first reading: on increasing the NABU staff by 300 people and on allowing the NACP to check the property of civil servants acquired before their appointment.
Based on the European Commission’s report, EU leaders will decide in December whether to launch membership talks with Ukraine.