BRUSSELS (AP) — Ukraine will officially start accession talks with the European Union on Tuesday in what the president says Volodymyr Zelensky has described as a dream come true for the citizens of his country after more than two years of war with Russia.
Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olga Stefanishyna will lead Ukraine’s delegation at an intergovernmental conference in Luxembourg, on the occasion of the official opening of talks to align the countries’ laws and norms with those of the bloc of 27 countries.
A few hours later, Moldova, which applied to join the EU after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and was granted candidate status four months later, will take part in a separate intergovernmental conference to officially launch its own accession process.
Ukraine also sought candidate country status in the days after Russia invaded. By June 2022, EU leaders quickly made it official. But things have slowed down since then, and if it does, membership could be years away.
The accession negotiations with Turkey lasted almost twenty years without results.
Nevertheless, starting the talks process once again sends a strong signal of solidarity with Ukraine, in addition to the billions in financial support provided by the EU. It is also a show of support for Moldova, which has faced its own problems with Russia.
“Generations of our people are realizing their European dream. Ukraine is returning to Europe,” Zelenskyy said in an online post after EU member states agreed on Friday to open talks.
Tuesday’s intergovernmental conference marks the start of talks, but negotiations themselves are unlikely to begin for a few months.
The candidate countries must bring their laws and standards into line with those of the EU in 35 policy areas, known as chapters, ranging from the free movement of goods through fisheries, taxation, energy and the environment to judicial rights and security.
All 27 member states must agree unanimously to open or close chapters, giving EU countries ample opportunity to demand more work or delay the procedure.
Ukraine borders EU member states Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania and would overtake France to become the bloc’s largest member if it were to join, shifting the center of gravity further east. As a top grain producer, his accession would have a huge impact on EU agricultural policy.
Along with Moldova, Ukraine joins a long line of EU candidates — Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey — who have long held membership aspirations and feel let down by rapid progress in Kiev.
Ukraine wants to join in 2030, but must first implement dozens of institutional and legal reforms. This huge list is led by anti-corruption steps and includes broad reforms to public administration and the judiciary.
