On Tuesday, June 25, a conference in Luxembourg marked the beginning of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the European Union.
This was announced by Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
The Ukrainian delegation is led by Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, Olha Stefanishyna, who has been designated as the “chief negotiator.” Previously, she stated that Ukraine would insist on a very dynamic accession process, starting from 2025.
At the intergovernmental conference, Ukraine and the European Union are exchanging positions and statements regarding the membership negotiations.
Substantive negotiations are expected to commence with the negotiation chapters. The initial clusters to be opened will address fundamental EU issues.
The talks will officially begin before July 1, when Hungary, which is skeptical of Ukraine’s EU integration, replaces Belgium and assumes the EU presidency, thus gaining greater influence over EU decision-making.
The negotiations begin more than 10 years after thousands of Ukrainians took to the Euromaidan to defend the country’s move towards the EU, and more than two years after Russia’s full-scale invasion, which aims to keep Ukraine within its sphere of influence.
Previously, it was reported that the text of the security guarantees agreement between Ukraine and the EU is expected to be approved by June 25. The document is planned to be signed in the coming days.
Photo: open sources
