The European Union (EU) aims to accelerate Ukraine’s membership to the bloc by opening two negotiation “clusters” in the first half of this year, a senior official said on Tuesday, the 28th of January. The pledge comes at a time when Kyiv is trying to strengthen its position ahead of upcoming potential peace talks with Russia, as becoming an EU member would be a major achievement for Kyiv, which is also seeking to join NATO, reports Politico.
Ukraine and Moldova have begun the process of joining the 27-member bloc, which would be its biggest enlargement in more than two decades.
“The EU needs to further develop and gain new members,” said EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas, who attended the conference along with Swedish European Affairs Minister Jessica Rosencrantz and Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna. “We also need to step up the pressure on Russia to stop this war,” added Kallas.
Although Kyiv has received the legal green light to start negotiations with Brussels, it has not yet started the first round of talks. The whole process involves six clusters, which are then subdivided into a total of 35 chapters.
“From a technical point of view, we can be ready to open two clusters for Ukraine in the first half of the year,” EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos told reporters at a press conference in Brussels.
Kos was quick to point out that further progress depends on the consent of EU member states, which have to sign each step forward. Hungary in particular has opposed Ukraine’s EU membership. “It is not possible without the participation of Member States,” she said.
EU aims to fast-track Ukraine’s membership bid in 2025
