Last Update: March 04, 2023, 22:13 IST
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has appealed to his Western allies to step up their military support, warning that delay will play into Russia’s hands as the invasion approaches its anniversary on February 24. (File Image: Reuters)
Brussels granted Kiev formal candidate status last June, four months after Russia launched an all-out offensive, but the process to join the EU usually takes years.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, during a visit to Ukraine on Saturday, called for the country to be allowed to start EU membership talks this year.
“I hope that accession talks can start already this year,” Metsola said in the western city of Lviv. “The future of Ukraine is in the European Union.”
Brussels granted Kiev formal candidate status last June, four months after Russia launched an all-out offensive, but the process to join the EU usually takes years.
A final decision will depend on EU member state governments, some of whom doubt that Ukraine can recover from the war and implement the democratic and anti-corruption reforms needed to qualify for membership any time soon. Is.
But Metsola, who met with President Volodymyr Zelensky and the speaker of Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stepanchuk, is among those in Brussels who are optimistic that both the membership bid and reform can be fast-tracked.
“The speed with which the Verkhovna Rada and the government are making progress on the EU application impresses me,” she said.
In a message circulated on social media after the meeting, Zelensky thanked Metsola for his role in securing the European Parliament’s support for the membership application.
“Ukraine aims to complete the implementation of the European Commission’s recommendations as soon as possible and start negotiations on joining the EU already this year,” he said.
Once formal negotiations begin, the European Commission will decide whether Kiev meets the criteria for EU membership in terms of good governance, democratic freedoms and the rule of law, and will then issue its opinion.
Then, the leaders of the 27 current EU members will decide whether and when to admit their new neighbor. The process often takes more than five years and has stalled for some candidates, such as Turkey and the countries of the Western Balkans.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)