The European Union is ready to start negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova on all chapters of the accession process as early as July. This was stated by EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos before the meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg, BTA reports.
According to her, the start of the actual negotiations with Kiev and Chisinau represents the first major step after the two countries received candidate status for membership three years ago.
“It was time to do it“, commented Kos and added that by the end of the year, it is possible that the accession negotiations with Montenegro will also be concluded.
According to her, in recent months the European Union has achieved greater progress in enlargement policy than in the previous 15 years. She also noted that 74 percent of Bosnia and Herzegovina's citizens support the country's European path.
The EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaya Kalas, announced that the Armenian Foreign Minister had been invited to today's meeting. According to her, Yerevan is facing increasing pressure from Moscow and Brussels is discussing options for additional support for the Armenian authorities.
Kalas described the recent Russian air strikes in Ukraine, which hit a monastery on the UNESCO World Heritage List, as a war crime. She confirmed that the European Union is continuing to work on expanding sanctions against Russia.
Among the measures discussed is a ban on entry into the EU for Russian servicemen who participated in the war in Ukraine. According to Kalas, European experts have already established the legal possibility of introducing such a restriction.