Arriving in Kyiv, Ursula von der Leyen assessed Ukraine’s progress towards joining the EU
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that Ukraine has made significant progress in implementing the reforms necessary to join the EU.
This will be formally confirmed in a report the department plans to submit next week. According to the UNIAN correspondent, the head of the EC said this during a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv.
The President of the EC emphasized that Ukraine’s path to the EU is the most important topic.
“I must say you have made great progress. It’s wonderful to see. We will witness this next week when the European Commission presents its report on the development”, said U. von der Leyen.
According to her, the EU was surprised by the reforms implemented in Ukraine during the war.
“We must never forget that you are fighting a war for existence and at the same time you are deeply reforming your country,” U. von der Leyen said.
She emphasized that Ukraine has demonstrated a lot of success in reforming the justice system, curbing the control of oligarchs, fighting money laundering and many other areas.
“It’s the result of hard work. I know that you are currently completing the pending reforms. If this happens, I am confident that Ukraine will be able to realize its ambitious goal of moving to the next stage of the accession process,” said U. von der Leyen.
For his part, V. Zelenskyi said that Ukraine is waiting for a political decision to start negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union.
“This decision will be a turning point not only in the history of Ukraine, but also in the history of the whole of Europe,” V. Zelenskis said.
He said that the start of negotiations will mean several essential things.
“First, there will be no more gray geopolitical zones in Europe. Second, we will create a new basis for the growth of both Ukraine and all European countries. And thirdly, we will guarantee real economic and social security for our state and the people of Ukraine,” V. Zelenskis said.
The head of state emphasized that during the war, Ukraine does not stop on the way to the implementation of necessary reforms.
“We clearly recognize that membership of the European Union is a recognition of each country’s respective institutional development and is based on specific merits in safeguarding the European rules of life. Therefore, Ukraine does not ask for concessions on the way to the European Union and implements all the recommendations of the European Commission, which were presented to our country and are necessary for the start of membership negotiations,” V. Zelenskis said.
He assured that Ukraine does not stop in the state transformation process and the reforms will continue.
According to him, the draft law on the specialized anti-corruption prosecutor’s office has already been registered in the Verkhovna Rada – it must create additional conditions for the effective functioning of the anti-corruption system. A draft law on lobbying is also being prepared, which should add transparency to political processes and reliably protect the state from the destructive influence of oligarchs.
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2024-10-06 09:52:56
