The pace will depend primarily on Ukraine’s readiness for reforms.
The Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany considers it possible to soon start negotiations with Ukraine on joining the EU.
As Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hanna Lührmann, said in a comment to the Dusseldorf publication Rheinische Post, the pace will depend primarily on Ukraine’s readiness for reforms.
“It is quite possible that the negotiations will start soon,” she suggested.
According to Luhrmann, during her visit to Kyiv, she was very impressed by the progress achieved. She emphasized that it is important for Ukraine to maintain this reform momentum.
Accession of Ukraine to the EU
Four days after the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyi signed Ukraine’s EU membership application. Four months later, the European Council granted Ukraine the status of a candidate for membership.
According to the Ukrainian authorities, 70% of the requirements for EU membership have already been met, and Ukraine plans to be fully ready for membership by the end of 2024.
At the same time, the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Olga Stefanyshina, said that Ukraine can join the EU even without the end of the war.
Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa spoke out against the accession of new members to the European Union, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that the country would agree to the accession of new countries if this process was accompanied by reform of the bloc.
