Ukraine will feel impact of decision to start negotiations with EU this year. From now on, process will be structured, and government will have clear guidelines – Lithuanian Ambassador Sarapinas
This is stated in the diplomat's column for European Pravda, in which he shared his expectations for the coming year, Censor.NET reports.
Sarapinas called the decision of the December summit of EU leaders historic and noted that its "transformative power" should begin to unfold this year.
"From now on, the accession process will be structured into 35 chapters in key policy areas. In each of them, the Ukrainian government will have clear guidelines to achieve," the ambassador wrote.
He explained that the full implementation of these reforms will allow Ukraine to make its state institutions transparent, fight corruption and get rid of the remnants of the Soviet style of governance that are now an obstacle to the country's development.
"According to Lithuania's experience, passing such a comprehensive inspection by the EU institutions was one of the biggest achievements for us and other EU newcomers. This has created conditions for further economic growth, modernization and foreign investment," the Lithuanian ambassador said.
He added that the Annual National Program will play a similar role in the movement towards NATO.
"Ukraine's membership in NATO is no longer a matter of "if" but of "when." It is clear that the Lithuanian Embassy in Kyiv, which serves as a NATO liaison embassy, will facilitate this process," writes Valdemaras Sarapinas.
