Obstacles to negotiations on Ukraine’s membership in EU should be removed this year, - Zelensky
The year 2023 should be a time when there will be no obstacles to negotiations regarding Ukraine’s full membership in the EU.
This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelensky at a joint meeting of the Government of Ukraine and the European Commission in Kyiv, Censor.NET reports with reference to Interfax-Ukraine.
"The work of the government and the Verkhovna Rada on seven EU recommendations is coming to an end. In the spring, the time will come for an interim assessment of the implementation of these recommendations," the president said.
According to Zelensky, "Ukraine and the European Union are no longer separate subjects of European life. Our values are common, our destiny is common, our enemy is common."
"Today, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, handed over the report on the second part of Ukraine's responses, provided by the European Commission in the framework of acquiring the status of a candidate for EU accession. This report contains an in-depth analysis of the state of regulatory and legal rapprochement between Ukraine and the EU," the president emphasized.
"Currently, based on this report, our government will begin a meaningful self-assessment of where we are sufficiently close, and where we still need to work to bring Ukrainian legislation into line with EU law," Zelensky said.
Addressing government officials, he said that "your work should become the basis of the National Plan for approximation of Ukrainian legislation to EU legislation. Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna is responsible for the coordination and preparation of this plan."
"There is an updated plan of priority measures to strengthen the implementation of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Zone for the next two years. This is the further integration of the economy of Ukraine and the EU market - industrial visa-free, joining Ukraine to EU roaming, further transport, and trade liberalization," Zelensky said.
