EU and Ukraine officially begin accession negotiations

“Historic day,” rejoiced Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. Negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union officially started on Tuesday in Luxembourg, as did negotiations with Moldova. “I am grateful to everyone who defends Ukraine, our country and our people. I am grateful to the team that is doing everything to ensure that we become part of the European Union. We will never deviate from our path to a united Europe, to our common home of all European peoples. A house that should be quiet! “- continued the Ukrainian on the social network X, while his country has been at war since February 22, 2022 and the Russian offensive.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky already welcomed the start of these negotiations last week, welcoming the consecration of the “European dream.” “Congratulations to Moldova and Ukraine,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday. “The road will be difficult, but full of opportunity,” she added in a video message.

Without Hungary

The Twenty-Seven will first officially begin negotiations with Ukraine on Tuesday afternoon around 15:30, then with Moldova as part of the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC). The start of these talks is the result of a hard-fought agreement by the 26 EU countries, which were forced to compete in ingenuity to persuade the 27th country, Viktor Orban’s Hungary, not to block the process. The Hungarian Prime Minister vehemently opposed any negotiations on Ukraine’s accession, believing that the country was not ready.

Hungary, the closest EU member state to Vladimir Putin’s Russia, is also blocking all European military aid to Kyiv. Viktor Orbán finally agreed to leave the G27 leaders’ negotiating table in December before his 26 colleagues decided to open accession talks with Kiev and Chisinau. Following the official opening of the IGC, negotiators will first review the legislation of both countries to check whether it is compatible with EU law. This stage, “vetting” in Brussels jargon, usually lasts one to two years, the diplomatic source explained.

But in the case of Ukraine or Moldova, things will go faster because “we already have a fairly clear idea” of the situation, the European diplomat emphasized, speaking on condition of anonymity. However, it will be several weeks, even several months, before the various chapters of negotiations are actually opened. And it is unlikely that they will be before the end of this year: Hungary, not wanting to welcome Ukraine, takes over on July 1 the biennial presidency of the Council of the EU, which brings together ministers of “twenty-seven” countries.

EU heads of state and government opened the way for these accession negotiations in mid-December 2023. But Budapest had previously slowed down the official start of negotiations with Kiev, considering that the terms had not been reunited.

Kyiv must fight corruption and the influence of oligarchs

The European Commission, for its part, assessed on June 7 that Ukraine and Moldova had fulfilled all the prerequisites for such accession. The European executive demanded that Kyiv take measures to combat corruption and the influence of oligarchs. The commission also asked for better consideration of the interests of minorities, a measure insisted on by Budapest due to the presence of the Hungarian community in Ukraine.

The EU granted candidate membership status to Ukraine in June 2022, in a highly symbolic gesture months after the start of the Moscow-fueled war, as well as to neighboring Moldova. The start of negotiations is just one step in a long and difficult accession process. The possible entry into the EU of Ukraine, a country of more than 40 million people and an agricultural power, poses numerous challenges, starting with the financial assistance it would benefit from.

The EU, for its part, plans to reform itself to cope with this expansion and improve its governance and decision-making process, which is already often complex among 27 member states.