EU opens "technical talks" with Ukraine on three clusters

As part of continued talks on Ukraine's EU accession at the technical level (the frontloading mechanism), Ukraine received draft conditions from the European Commission on the morning of Tuesday 17 March in Brussels for closing clusters No. 3 Competitiveness and Inclusive Growth, No. 4 Green Agenda and Sustainable Connectivity, and No. 5 Resources, Agriculture and Cohesion Policy.

Source: a European Pravda journalist in Brussels

Details: The EU handed Ukraine draft negotiating positions for three clusters under the frontloading mechanism, which allows technical progress in accession talks.

As a result, Ukraine now has the necessary conditions to negotiate across all six clusters required for joining the European Union.

Taras Kachka, Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, thanked the Danish and Cypriot presidencies as well as the European Commission for launching the frontloading mechanism to enable Ukraine to continue accession talks at the technical level.

"We are taking this extremely seriously, and we really appreciate the support of the European Commission in this," he said.

Kachka added that Ukraine "really appreciates the involvement of the Commission in implementing all these benchmarks".

Read more: Frontloading: EU's alternative path to break Hungary's veto on Ukraine's accession talks

Quote from Kachka: "This step is a really revolutionary step in a very European way, so that's in line with current accession methodology but also in line with the current reality that we cannot waste any day for the accession of Ukraine to the European Union... So that's why we really appreciate that the European Union applies its creativity while maintaining the rules."

More details: Kachka added that "this is also a good signal for Ukraine on how to continue reforms during war".

"We did a lot during wartime for the last four years. We're particularly successful in anti-corruption reforms and judiciary reforms. We have a really well-operating anti-corruption framework. We have a lot of judges that are selected by the bodies that have been created with the support of international experts, and there is a big trust in their work. We will continue with the same pace," he said.

Background:

• It is worth noting that on 17 March a similar procedure will also take place in Brussels for Moldova, represented by Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Cristina Gherasimov.
• Frontloading will allow Ukraine to complete all technical and legislative work required for EU membership without waiting for Hungary to lift its objections and allow the formal opening of negotiating clusters.
• The "technical opening" of the final three negotiating clusters with Ukraine and Moldova had initially been planned on the sidelines of an informal EU General Affairs Council meeting in Cyprus on 2-3 March but was postponed until May due to the war in the Middle East.
• On 11 December in Lviv, the EU announced the launch of a new format of technical talks with Ukraine that are not subject to a Hungarian veto at an informal meeting of the General Affairs Council of the European Union.

Read more: Plan B for Ukraine: how Orbán was barred from blocking Kyiv's EU bid

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