European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos officially confirmed that the EU will officially launch Ukraine accession talks on June 15, Ukrinform reported, quoted by BTA.
She said this during a conversation with journalists in Kiev.
According to Kos, an intergovernmental conference with Ukraine is scheduled for June 15 to officially launch negotiations on the first group of chapters of EU legislation, known as “Basic Principles“. This group covers issues related to the judiciary, institutions, public procurement systems, financial control and statistics.
“The rule of law is one of the most important steps. It all starts with it and everything ends with it. After confirming it, the candidate country receives a certificate that the commitment to the EU is serious“, Kos explained.
The Commissioner also noted that after negotiations on a given group of chapters have started and the candidate country has implemented the necessary reforms, the European Commission prepares an Interim Assessment Report (IBAR). Based on this report, the EU member states decide whether the negotiations on this cluster can be considered closed.
„Ukrinform“ recalls that the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the European Union announced on June 4 that the Council had officially launched the process of opening the first group of chapters, “Basic Principles“, in the accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova.