27 agree on negotiating framework to launch accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova
File – Archive image of flags of the European Union and Ukraine – Europa Press/Contact/Alexander Gusev – Archive
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Brussels, 14 (Europa Press)
EU member states reached an agreement late this Friday on the framework for negotiations for Ukraine and Moldova to join the bloc, a step before the start of EU accession talks, which are due to begin at the end of June.
“EU ambassadors reached an agreement in principle on the negotiating framework to launch accession talks for Ukraine and Moldova,” the Belgian presidency of the council confirmed on social media.
In this sense, he said he would convene a first intergovernmental conference with the two candidates on June 25, parallel to the meeting of European Affairs ministers in Luxembourg.
“This is another historic moment and another clear signal of our full and firm commitment to Ukraine,” diplomatic sources indicated after learning about the agreement at 27 pm.
The Negotiation Framework is the legal structure on which accession negotiations with the EU are based; it consists of 35 chapters, covering all EU laws;
A week ago, the European Commission gave its favourable opinion for launching accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova, noting that both candidates have completed the priority reforms set by Brussels in 2022 and therefore the conditions for launching their accession to the bloc have been met.
Hungary’s reluctance to open dialogue
The move comes after overcoming obstacles from Hungary, which had demanded greater commitment from Ukraine on matters of minority rights and had become the main obstacle to achieving an agreement within the European bloc, and drew up a document with eleven demands that Kiev was seeking.
European sources told Europa Press that Ukraine is finally “clearly” committed to implementing the issues relating to minorities, a commitment that will be reflected in a national declaration on the sidelines of the intergovernmental conference.
The Belgian president, who is steering the process, considers the text “balanced and appropriate for the purpose of managing the accession negotiations,” the sources explain, referring to the key element that has allowed to unblock the situation with Budapest.