The EU will assess the progress of Ukrainian reforms to decide whether Ukraine has met all the criteria required to start the accession negotiations, according to the EU-Ukraine joint statement issued on 3 February following the EU-Ukraine Summit in Kyiv.
The EU will decide on further steps once Ukraine fulfills the conditions outlined in the European Commission’s opinion on its EU membership application. The Commission will report on Ukraine’s fulfillment of the conditions as part of its regular enlargement package in 2023, according to the EU-Ukraine joint statement.
Earlier before, the EU insisted that the assessment of Ukraine's progress in fulfilling the criteria required to start the accession negotiations will not be given to Ukraine until the autumn of 2023.
As a result of the 24th EU-Ukraine Summit in Kyiv, the EU agreed to put the oral report on Ukraine's progress on paper and hand it over to Ukraine. Therefore, Ukraine gets an opportunity to correct its mistakes on the way to the fulfillment of the seven criteria required to start the accession negotiations.
European Parliament adopted resolution re Ukraine EU accession negotiations
"We take note of the Commission’s intention to provide an update in spring 2023, which will also be conveyed to Ukraine through the appropriate channels," the EU-Ukraine joint statement stipulated.
During the joint press conference following the EU-Ukraine Summit in Kyiv, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that the primary task of his government is to start negotiations for EU membership in 2023.
Related:
- The future of the EU is being written in Ukraine, the heart of Europe - Ursula von der Leyen
- Von der Leyen believes Ukraine will become EU member
- Ukraine to participate in EU's Single Market program
- European Union to support fast recovery of Ukraine
