European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos is confident that even if the war continues for some time, it will not hinder Ukraine’s progress toward EU membership.
She stated this in an interview with Ukrinform.
“We have come through wartime circumstances, and if the war continues — which I truly hope it doesn’t — it will still not block the accession process. You are delivering. So we will be able to open all the clusters. I hope this will happen this year. We will be ready,” said the European Commission representative.
Cluster One will be opened soon and covers the fight against corruption, the rule of law, public procurement rules, and the judicial system. By September-October, the EC will conduct screening in all policy areas, and by the end of the year, all clusters will be opened.
“We are really doing everything possible to make this happen as soon as possible, because Ukraine has done its homework,” Kos said, expressing optimism that the issue of Hungary’s current position will be resolved.
Kos is convinced that Ukraine will become a member of the EU by 2030 and would like this to happen even earlier, in 2029, before her term ends.
The politician also noted that this is the first time in history that Brussels is negotiating with a country that is at war. It is also the first time that everything is happening against the backdrop of a propaganda war waged by Russia against Ukraine, Moldova, and the EU.
“We have to fight the Russian propaganda that aims to destroy your EU aspirations,” the agency’s interlocutor stressed.
As reported by Ukrinform, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in Rome that he had received positive signals from the EU leadership about the possibility of opening the first negotiating cluster.
