Spain Supports Negotiations for Ukraine's Accession to the EU before year-end

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has stated that he hopes to initiate negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the European Union before Spain concludes its six-month presidency of the EU, which is until December 31, 2023. 

This was reported by Reuters.

"I kicked off the Spanish presidency with a trip to Kyiv and I hope to close it with the opening of accession negotiations with this country, now that the European Commission's report is known," said Sanchez.

The Spanish Prime Minister emphasized that it is time for the European Union to open its doors and begin the integration of Ukraine. Sanchez also considers it important to start a dialogue with Moldova and Western Balkan countries regarding EU membership.

It is worth noting that tomorrow, on December 14, a two-day summit of EU member states will begin, where they will discuss Ukraine's membership application and the potential expansion of the Bloc through the accession of Georgia, Moldova, and Western Balkan countries.

On the eve of the summit, Maroš Šefčovič, Vice President of the European Commission, noted that EU enlargement will be one of the most important topics during the upcoming summit.

"I think this would be clearly one of the historic summits because a very important decision will have to be taken. So, I expect that we will do our utmost to prepare the discussion well for our heads of state and governments, who will convene in this building in two-days time and will have a thorough discussion, and, I hope, also positive conclusions on this discussion," emphasized Šefčovič.

Earlier, in June 2023, at the summit in Brussels, the European Council granted Ukraine the status of a candidate for the EU. Following this, Kyiv committed to a series of important reforms related to the rule of law, combating the influence of oligarchs, and corruption.

"The Commission recommends giving Ukraine a European perspective, of course, on the condition of implementing a series of important reforms in the country. In the Commission's opinion, Ukraine has clearly demonstrated its desire and determination to live according to European values and standards," stated Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.

After a series of compliance checks, on November 8, 2023, the European Commission officially recommended to the European Union Council to initiate the negotiation process regarding Ukraine's accession to the EU. Later, Ursula von der Leyen stated that Ukraine had fulfilled "almost" all the EU requirements to start accession negotiations.