The European Commission is committed to opening the accession negotiations with Ukraine. Although he urges the Twenty-Seven to take steps to do so, he points out that there are pending reforms regarding the protection of minorities and the fight against corruption, which is why he conditions the negotiating framework on Kyiv completing these transformations, with the perspective of March 2024.

“The Commission recommends that the Council begin accession negotiations with Ukraine,” states the report of the European Executive on the progress of the candidates and issues different opinions on the steps to follow.

However, the Community Executive recognizes Ukraine’s progress in far-reaching reforms to align with European standards, having completed four of the seven priority reforms set by Brussels. An action that is being carried out while combating the Russian invasion of its own territory.

Among the pending reforms, the European Commission highlights measures to increase the fight against corruption, in addition to implementing laws to reduce the influence of oligarchs in the public, political and economic life of Ukraine and the need to end the legal framework for national minorities according to the standards set by the Venice Commission.

For all these reasons, Brussels recommends that Member States adopt the negotiating framework once Ukraine has complied with the measures indicated and on which it is working, with a view to March 2024.

Ukraine applied for formal entry days after the Russian military aggression. Already in June of last year, the EU recognized him candidate status with Moldovaan intermediate step that represents support to progress in European reforms and to integrate it into some European economic structures.

Now, the ball is in the court of the Twenty-Seven, who will discuss at the leaders’ summit in December whether they decide to open negotiations.

Currently, the EU has open negotiations with Albania, North Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, a more advanced country that has nevertheless been immersed in the process for a decade and has no signs of finalizing it in the near future.