Ukraine may close most EU negotiating chapters within 12-18 months, deputy prime minister says

Ukraine can close most chapters in the negotiations on accession to the European Union within the next 12-18 months and reach the signing of an accession treaty as early as 2027.

Source: Taras Kachka, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, as cited by Interfax-Ukraine and reported by European Pravda

Details: During a one-hour Q&A session with the government in the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) on Friday, Kachka recalled that the EU had provided Ukraine in advance with benchmarks for opening negotiating clusters.

Quote: "In total, we have 145 EU requirements. Most of them concern aligning Ukrainian legislation with EU standards and the day-to-day functioning of institutions. All these requirements are realistic. Over the next 12-18 months, most negotiating chapters can be closed and next year we can move to signing the EU accession treaty."

Details: Kachka specified that in March, Ukraine had received a second set of conditions for the successful completion of technical negotiations across all chapters. Technical work with the European Commission is currently ongoing across all six clusters.

The minister emphasised that after the accession treaty is signed, the document will need to be ratified by the parliaments of EU member states and Ukraine, a process that will take several years.

Background:

• According to the Financial Times, the pace of reforms and differing views on the speed of accession have increased tensions between Ukraine and the EU.
• In recent weeks, France and Germany have proposed a phased approach under which Ukraine would receive symbolic benefits and gradual access to EU mechanisms in exchange for implementing reform milestones. Officials say this would mean at least 10 years before full membership.
• Meanwhile, Hungary's incoming prime minister Péter Magyar expects Ukraine to take steps regarding the Hungarian minority before agreeing to unblock its EU accession.

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