There is no EU member state blocking opening of negotiation clusters with Ukraine, - Kachka
There are no Member States in the European Union that would object to the opening of negotiation clusters with Ukraine. The only issue is the speed at which the necessary procedures are completed.
This was stated by the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Taras Kachka, according to Censor.NET, citing LIGA.net.
Details
According to the Deputy Prime Minister, all the negotiation clusters have already been put to a vote and no EU country has objected to their opening.
"There has been no objection from any Member State regarding the refusal to open the files. There is a discussion regarding the speed at which these files are being processed. We know for certain that there will be a series of meetings before the end of July and that these issues will be brought up for consideration. Work is ongoing. It is a matter of time and the speed at which all these matters are processed," – explained Kachka.
The Deputy Prime Minister also said that Poland had not imposed any additional conditions on Ukraine for the opening of negotiation clusters.
"We had an unresolved issue with Hungary regarding the first cluster, and we have resolved it. As for the other clusters, all our negotiating positions are ready," he added.
Kachka explained that discussions with Poland, particularly regarding agriculture, are a normal part of the EU accession negotiation process.
"We are always engaged in dialogue with Poland on agricultural matters. We understand that this takes place at the level of associations and at the level of ministries. Therefore, the statements that are being made and commented on are part of a vast, lengthy and highly detailed process," said the Deputy Prime Minister.
According to Kachka, changes of government in EU countries and internal political processes may affect the pace at which decisions are taken, but this is standard practice for the European Union.
"So we need to be patient here, but there are no obstacles," he concluded.
What led up to it?
- The European Commission had previously stated that Ukraine is ready to open all chapters in the EU accession negotiations.
- Marta Kos, the European Commissioner for Enlargement, believes that Ukraine is ready to open all negotiation chapters on accession to the EU. The official opening is still some way off, but technical work on all chapters is ongoing.
- On 14 July, the European Union opened the sixth chapter in the negotiations on Ukraine’s accession
