Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he hoped to open EU membership talks between the bloc and Ukraine before the end of his country’s six-month presidency of the EU Council in December, according to Reuters.
“I kicked off the Spanish presidency with a trip to Kyiv and I hope to close it with the opening of accession negotiations with this country, now that the European Commission’s report is known,” Sanchez told a plenary session of the European Parliament.
The Spanish prime minister said that “the time has come for the EU to open its doors and integrate Ukraine, and also Moldova and the countries of the West Balkans”.
On 8 November, top EU officials recommended that Ukraine be invited to begin membership talks as soon as it meets final conditions.
Breaking: EU recommends opening talks with Ukraine on accession to bloc
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the European Commission’s recommendation to open formal membership talks with Ukraine was the “right step” for Ukraine and the EU.
The recent poll shows Europeans are “generally open” to the idea of Ukraine joining the EU, despite “the costs and risks,” the Guardian reported.
Europeans largely welcome Ukraine’s EU membership bid – polls
The polling of over 6,000 people in 6 EU member states discovered sizeable support for Ukraine’s membership bid, especially in Denmark and Poland where 50% and 47% back accession respectively.
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