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The European Commission said Wednesday it hopes to move entry talks with Ukraine and Moldova to the next stage “as soon as possible” in 2025, as part of a renewed enlargement push faced with the “existential threat” from Russia.
The two ex-Soviet states opened accession negotiations with the European Union in June, setting them on a long — and yet uncertain — path towards membership that Russia has tried to block.
Updating reporters on the broader enlargement process, the commission said the work of screening how far laws in both Ukraine and Moldova comply with EU standards — and how much work lies ahead — was “progressing smoothly”.
Once complete, Brussels will lay out conditions for actual negotiations on 35 subjects, ranging from taxation to environmental policy — grouped under what are known in enlargement jargon as “clusters”.
In the case of both Ukraine and Moldova, the commission said in a statement it was “looking forward to the opening of negotiations on clusters… as soon as possible in 2025”.
Moving ahead would be subject to a green light from the EU’s 27 member states.
For Ukraine, the opening of talks in June marked the beginning of a protracted process of reforms that will likely take many years — and may never lead to membership.
So far however, Ukraine has won plaudits for kickstarting a raft of reforms on curbing graft and political interference, even as it battles the Russian invasion.
“Ukrainians are fighting two battles at the same time,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told a news conference. “One in the battlefield, a real war, and another striving to push the reforms needed to become member of the European Union.”
“We will support Ukraine on both fronts,” he said.
Moldova only narrowly voted in favour of joining the bloc in a referendum this month marked by allegations of interference by Moscow — casting a shadow over the country’s EU aspirations.
But enlargement commissioner Oliver Varhelyi told the press conference “it is very clear that Moldova has come a long way” — citing in particular the recovery from oligarchs of tens of millions in “stolen” funds.
Kyiv and Chisinau lodged their respective EU bids in the aftermath of Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which has reinvigorated a push to take on new members.
The EU also granted candidate status to ex-Soviet Georgia in December last year — but negotiations were frozen after the country passed a controversial “foreign influence law” targeting civil society.
Brussels has likewise approved accession negotiations with Bosnia and has talks ongoing with Serbia, Montenegro, Albania and North Macedonia.
Turkey officially remains a candidate, having launched EU membership talks in 2005, but the process has gone nowhere since a crackdown on opposition groups following a failed coup in 2016.
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Publish date : 2024-10-30 09:32:00
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The post Brussels Hopes To Advance Ukraine, Moldova Entry Talks In 2025 first appeared on Love Europe.
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Author : love-europe
Publish date : 2024-10-30 16:44:53
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