The EU wants to start accession negotiations with Ukraine as soon as possible, says the president of the European Council
The President of the European Council, Antonio Costa. Photo: FREDERICK FLORIN / AFP / Profimedia
The European Union wants to start “as soon as possible” negotiations on Ukraine's accession, the president of the European Council, Antonio Costa, said on Thursday, without committing to a date, AFP and Agerpres report.
The US plan to end the war in Ukraine calls for Kiev to join the EU in January 2027, a timetable widely considered unrealistic by experts.
“We want to be able to officially open negotiations as soon as possible and make progress on the enlargement process,” Costa told a press conference in Oslo, where he was visiting.
“I can't say whether it will be in 2027 or even 2026 or later, but the important thing is not to lose momentum,” he added.
EU response to Zelenskiy: Member states are not ready to give Ukraine a concrete accession date
Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine will enter its fifth year next Tuesday, complicating hopes for a swift integration of the country.
“What is particularly impressive is that Ukraine, despite the terrible war it is facing, is implementing the necessary reforms to become a full-time member of the European Union,” Costa pointed out.
Which country had the fastest accession
“There are rules for the accession process,” he reminded, when asked about the possibility of offering “light” accession to Kiev. “Candidate countries are obliged to comply with these criteria,” he said, evoking the so-called Copenhagen criteria formulated in 1993.
The accession of a country requires, however, the approval of all EU states, or Hungary led by Viktor Orban is openly hostile to the Ukrainian candidacy.
Antonio Costa however reminded that Budapest has given its consent for Ukraine to obtain the status of a candidate country in 2022.
The record for the fastest accession to the EU bloc is held by Finland: less than three years between the submission of its application and official accession. At the opposite pole is Turkey, which has been an official candidate for almost 30 years, but its EU accession process is completely frozen.
