“Ukraine received the status of a candidate for joining the European Union in June 2022”, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
According to her, Ukraine “broke the matrix” with its initiative in seeking to join the EU, and the rather fast pace – compared to what happened in other candidate countries – can be maintained in the future.
“I have already said in an interview before and I will say it again: I believe that the goal set by President Michel – the accession of Ukraine to the EU by the end of this decade – is realistic,” Katarina Maternova said.
At the same time, she noted that joining the EU is not only a technical process of membership negotiations, which in itself takes time, but also a political one.
“It is also a political ratification in all member states, because the entry of a new member means a change in the EU treaty. Therefore, it must be ratified in the format required by each of the EU countries. And it always takes some time. Yes, during the 2004 expansion, it took somewhere a year and a half,” the ambassador added.
Read also: Czechs are less supportive of Ukraine’s EU membership than Hungarians – survey
For example, the Prime Minister of Hungary questions the possibility of Ukraine’s membership in the EU.
Last December, the European Council decided to start negotiations on the accession of Ukraine and Moldova to the European Union. The country received the status of a candidate for joining the European Union in June 2022.