The Netherlands will determine the position on Ukraineʼs candidate status for EU accession after evaluation by the European Commission

The Dutch government will decide whether to support Ukraineʼs candidate status after the European Commission publishes its assessment.

This was stated in an interview with NOS by Foreign Minister Wopke Gukstra.

He stressed that the government will be impartial in the assessment of the European Commission and take it into account.

"The European Commission must make a sensible decision about what needs to be done. Then you have to be ready to look at it openly, and thatʼs what the Netherlands will do," Huxtra said.

The European Commission is currently expected to approve its assessment of Ukraineʼs application to join the EU on June 17. After that, this issue will be discussed at the summit of EU leaders on June 23-24, where it will be decided whether to grant Ukraine candidate status.

• Ukraine officially signed and applied for EU membership on February 28. Ukraine and Georgia followed suit. After that, the summit of EU leaders instructed the European Commission to compile a questionnaire and pass it to these countries, and then, based on the answers, assess whether they meet the main criteria for EU accession. Ukraine completed and submitted both parts of the questionnaire in record time.