Negotiations on Ukraine’s membership in EU: European Council receives first screening report
The European Commission has sent the European Council the first screening report of the first cluster of the "Fundamentals" of negotiations on Ukraine's membership in the European Union.
The European Commission provided the relevant information at the request of Interfax-Ukraine, Censor.NET reports.
"The submission of the screening report is the first step in the membership negotiations, where the Commission explains to the candidate its rights and obligations as a member state, and in the second stage assesses where the candidate stands in terms of legal compliance and the ability to apply the acquis (acquis is a term that means the set of EU laws and rights applicable in the member states - ed.) Last week's inspection report concerns Cluster 1 of the Fundamentals, which is at the heart of the accession negotiations. According to the Negotiating Framework, this cluster is the first to be opened and the last to be closed in the negotiations," the European Commission explained.
It is noted that the screening report will be discussed with member states in the European Council.
"As soon as the Council agrees that the initial benchmarks for this cluster have been met and the countries have presented their negotiating position and the EU has agreed on its negotiating position, an intergovernmental conference is organized where both countries officially open the cluster for negotiations," the European Commission said.
They also added that Ukraine is currently undergoing a bilateral verification process that will last until the fall of 2025. If the necessary conditions are met, negotiations on the clusters, including the Fundamentals, will also begin this year.
The EU added that EU enlargement remains a priority.
"The EU started accession negotiations with Ukraine in June 2024. This is a recognition of Ukraine's determination to move forward with its EU accession and implement transformative reforms despite Russia's ongoing war of aggression. Ukraine is confidently moving towards EU membership," the European Commission emphasized.
Negotiations on EU accession are divided into 35 chapters, grouped into six clusters, which are opened in turn depending on the progress of the candidate country in their implementation.
Earlier, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski expressed hope that two key clusters of negotiations between Ukraine and the EU would be opened in the first half of 2025 during Poland's presidency of the EU Council.
