UNP National Coordinator Ruslan Havryliuk and Coordinator of Working Group 5 “Social and Labor Policy and Social Dialogue” Valery Repin, at the invitation of the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Ukraine’s Integration to the European Union, joined its special meeting on the eve of decisive events that will determine the possibility of the long-awaited opening of membership negotiations of Ukraine to the EU already in June this year.
The participants of the meeting had the opportunity to hear a detailed report by the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olga Stafanishyna on the state of preparation, approval and presentation at the First Intergovernmental Conference of the EU negotiating framework and the negotiating position of Ukraine for the start of negotiations on EU Accession. Olha Stefanishyna assured that Ukraine has fulfilled all political obligations to the European Union, which were a condition for the start of negotiations on accession, the Government of Ukraine expects that the European side will approve the negotiation framework, as proposed by the European Commission, by the end of June.
The Government continues to work on the task of implementing European legislation, with progress reflected in the European Commission’s annual enlargement report due in October. On the agenda are 56 European integration bills, which are defined by the preliminary report on enlargement, the plan for the Ukraine Facility, as well as the Association Agreement. Changes to the legislation in the process of membership negotiations are expected to be much more extensive, the list of EU legal acts that will require implementation is 1.5 thousand pages alone. The Constitution of Ukraine will also require changes to recognize the governing bodies of the European Union.
An important element of the future negotiation process is the screening of Ukrainian legislation by the European Commission, which has already begun. It should end with a road map for the adaptation of legislation for each of the negotiated sections. The screening is expected to be completed earlier than previously expected in late 2025.
To a question from the representatives of the UNP, Olga Stefanishyna informed that the results of the self-screening conducted by the Ukrainian Government were transferred to the European side. Ruslan Gavryliuk also noted that the government’s overly positive self-assessment of the process of implementing European legislation, in particular in the field of the environment, may hide the needs that the country has on the way to European integration. The head of the Committee, Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, emphasized that the evaluation should be objective, reflect the real needs of Ukraine, which will contribute to attracting additional support from European partners, both expert and financial or other types.
During the discussion, the issue of involving the public sector in the negotiation process was also raised.
During the discussion, the issue of involving the public sector in the negotiation process was also raised.
Olga Stefanishyna’s report received a favorable assessment in general, the importance of taking into account the needs of Ukraine to recover from Russian aggression in the negotiation process and the possible expansion of support under the Ukraine Facility and other programs was noted.
The information was provided by Ruslan Havryliuk, National Coordinator of the UNP
The Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Ukraine’s Integration into the European Union
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration
The activities within the framework of the project “”Supporting the activities of the Ukrainian National Platform of the EaP CSF in 2024”, funded by the European Union and implemented by the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting.
