Deputy PM Stefanishyna outlines EU accession negotiations plan for 2025

This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and Minister of Justice Olha Stefanishyna during an online speech at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities under the President of Ukraine, a Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“We are making good progress in the negotiations regarding Ukraine’s EU membership… Denmark’s Minister for European Affairs Marie Bjerre Holst visited Ukraine (on December 4) and planned the opening of negotiation chapters during Denmark’s presidency,” Stefanishyna said.

She added that Ukraine, together with the Polish side and the new EU Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, has also planned how to open the first 15 negotiation chapters related to the rule of law already in the first half of 2025.

“This is absolutely achievable. Ukraine is progressing dynamically, we have a positive assessment based on the enlargement report, agreements regarding our obligations, and all prerequisites for opening the second cluster,” the Deputy Prime Minister noted.

At the same time, she emphasized that the negotiation process will not be easy because, apart from Ukraine’s own work, agreements must also be reached with all 27 EU member states on the opening of each cluster. However, according to Stefanishyna, compared to previous periods, relations with the EU “are strong enough, there is an understanding that the decision on Ukraine’s EU membership has already been made, and we are progressing as dynamically as possible.”

“Of course, we understand that major decisions will come in April – this aligns with political processes in Poland. However, I believe that EU countries, Brussels, and, first and foremost, Ukraine recognize that there is a specific action plan that will allow us to avoid the influence of these processes on important strategic decisions for Ukraine,” the official concluded.

As reported earlier, EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos stated that Negotiation Cluster 1, Fundamentals of the EU Accession Process, could open for Ukraine most likely in April-May 2025. She also noted that Cluster 1 is fundamental, as it is the first to open and the last to close.

Negotiations on the accession of new EU member states are divided into 35 chapters, 33 of which are grouped into six thematic clusters that open sequentially.

For each chapter, the European Commission first conducts an official screening to assess the alignment of Ukraine’s legislation with EU laws.