European Commission Notes Unprecedented Speed in Ukraine’s EU Accession Process

The European Commission says that the process of screening (checking the compliance of Ukrainian and European legislation) within the framework of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU is proceeding at an unprecedented speed for the European Union.

The Gaze reports on this with reference to European Pravda.

At a briefing on 22 April in Brussels, European Commission spokesperson Guillaume Mercier stressed that the EU enlargement process is a priority for the European Commission, and Ukraine is making steady progress towards the EU, including demonstrating the highest screening rate in the history of enlargement.

‘Enlargement remains one of the priorities of this Commission. And we started negotiations with Ukraine in June 2024. Ukraine is making steady progress towards EU membership. We are currently in the process of conducting a bilateral screening on various thematic clusters of EU law,’ the Commission spokesperson reminded.

‘In the case of Ukraine, we are applying an accelerated procedure - the screening is taking place at an unprecedented speed. This has become possible thanks to the close cooperation of the European Commission's experts with Ukrainian partners to ensure that this stage is completed as efficiently as possible,’ said Guillaume Mercier. 

He specified that ‘this work (the screening process) will last until autumn’.

Mercier confirmed that Ukraine is ready to open the first negotiation cluster, Fundamentals, but this requires the consent of all 27 EU member states.

‘Ukraine has fulfilled all the conditions for opening the first cluster, the so-called Fundamentals cluster. But, as you rightly noted, it requires the consent of all member states,’ he said.

As a reminder, the opening of the first cluster was blocked by Hungary, which imposed additional conditions on the rights of Hungarians in Transcarpathia.

Mercier added that the issue is ‘currently being discussed in the EU Council’. 

‘For its part, the Commission provides comprehensive support to Ukraine in all possible forms - technical, political and financial. We continue to do so and maintain an active dialogue with all Member States,’ the spokesperson stressed.

Earlier, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal said that Ukraine has reached the fastest pace of accession to the European Union among the countries that have ever sought to become a member of the EU.

Read more: Accelerated European Integration of Ukraine Is a Common Interest for Both Sides