Ukraine’s European integration will not be bargaining chip in negotiations with Russia, - European Commissioner Kos
There is no turning back on Ukraine's membership in the European Union, and this issue will not be discussed in negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine.
This was stated by European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos to journalists before the start of an informal meeting of EU ministers for European affairs in Copenhagen, according to Censor.NET, citing Ukrinform.
When asked by a journalist whether she was concerned that Ukraine's accession to the EU could be used as a bargaining chip in negotiations with the Russia, Kos replied: "No, I am not concerned, because there is no turning back, and I agree with our president (European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. - Ed.) that EU membership is a political aspect of security guarantees. And I see it the same way. There is really no turning back on Ukraine's accession process."
Kos emphasised that "we cannot ensure security in Europe unless we stabilise the continent, and enlargement can play a major role in this".
According to her, today ministers will discuss the accession of Moldova and Ukraine.
"These are two countries that have done everything that is required. They have done their homework. These are two countries for which we were able to complete the screening process in all six clusters this year, and these are two countries for which we were finally able to start negotiations on the 'Fundamentals' cluster," the European Commissioner stressed.
She stressed that "there will be no geopolitical concessions or simplifications, because the rule of law, democracy and human rights are the basis of the accession process, and therefore we will make every effort to ensure that all eight countries (applying for EU membership - Ed.) meet the criteria necessary to become EU members."
Regarding whether the EU is satisfied with Ukraine's anti-corruption reforms and recent steps to address the issues, Kos noted: "Ukraine has indeed carried out many reforms in the context of war. As for the fight against corruption and what happened in July, most of it has been corrected. But there are still some steps that need to be taken, and we are in contact with the authorities, who promise to do what they have promised, and they are well aware of how important it is to reform the rule of law."
Commenting on the possibility of separating the accession negotiation processes for Ukraine and Moldova, Kos emphasised the importance of understanding Ukraine's position: "We should open the cluster together with Moldova. And the European Commission's view is that we should do this together. Later, the matter will come to a natural division, because we will move cluster by cluster, reform by reform, and then developments will be different for both countries, but for now it is important that we do this together with both countries."
According to her, the European Commission is working in this context with the Hungarian side, which is blocking the opening of clusters in negotiations with Ukraine.
"We should take into account the concerns of the member state. On the other hand, we must understand that this is a historic moment when we really must move forward in the accession process," Kos emphasised.
The European Commissioner separately noted that the accession process is moving forward. "From a technical point of view, we are really doing something that has never been done before in history, namely, this year we will complete all screenings for all six clusters. So the technical part is ongoing. But, of course, we also need political support," Kos said.
