The Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Olha Stefanishyna believes that Ukraine can start negotiations on joining the European Union in 2023. She states that these negotiations can be completed in three years.
Stefanishyna told about this in an interview with "European Truth".
"The year 2023 looks absolutely realistic. The EU did not start working with us on June 23. We prepared almost 6 thousand answers to the questionnaire and we did it together with the EU. Because all the reforms we made, we made them together to implement the Association Agreement. That is, the understanding of Ukraine is very great. Therefore, certain procedures — such as screening, market evaluation, legislation — are not something that will take years, but are already work that needs to be formalized," she noted.
According to her, EU statements about the possible start of negotiations in the second half of 2023 mean a certain caution on the part of the European Union. She emphasized that the situation with the dates will become clearer at the end of 2022, after the meetings of the leaders of Ukraine and the EU.
"We have a tough position, which consists in the fact that we have taken the initiative into our own hands. We do not sit and wait until the EU tells us how to proceed in the EU. We donʼt want to follow in the footsteps of the last enlargement countries, we donʼt want to be part of the Balkan enlargement format — because each wave of enlargement has its own certain historical aspects," Stefanishyna explained.
- On June 23, Ukraine officially became a candidate for membership of the European Union. The European Commission has approved certain conditions that Ukraine must fulfill in order to start official accession negotiations. Ukraine plans to fulfill them by the end of 2022.
- The candidate status gives Ukraine access to special financial funds of the European Union, at the expense of which reforms in countries are financed so that they meet the necessary criteria for full membership in the EU.