Meeting with Zelenskyj – Ursula von der Leyen visits Kiev again

The visit comes ahead of a report on Ukraine’s progress in its EU membership, which the European Union plans to present next week.

“We stand firmly by your side”
After Russia’s war of aggression began at the end of February 2022, Ukraine was given the status of a candidate country for the EU. Before accession negotiations can begin, Kiev must still meet a number of points. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky firmly expects negotiations to begin this year, as he said in a video message broadcast in Kiev on Thursday evening.

Von der Leyen told reporters on her way to Kiev that she wanted to reassure Ukraine, which was under attack by Russia, “that we are firmly on their side” and give them “encouragement and encouragement.” In addition to the country’s planned accession to the EU, this will also include financial and military support to the country, as well as sanctions against Russia.

Against the backdrop of the war, the Commission President pointed out the dangers of her journey. “Every time I go to Ukraine there is of course a certain feeling of tension because it is a war zone.” As always, Von der Leyen took a special train from Poland to Kiev. Flights over Ukraine are still not possible.

Reports on the progress of reforms in Ukraine
Next Wednesday, Von der Leyen will present reports in Brussels on the progress of reforms in Ukraine. On this basis, the leaders of state and government of the European Union want to decide in December whether accession negotiations should start with the government in Kiev. The 27 EU countries must decide unanimously to start negotiations.

There should be a positive vote if Ukraine has met seven requirements. These include, for example, the selection process for Ukrainian constitutional judges and a stronger fight against corruption – especially at high levels. The EU also demands compliance with anti-money laundering standards and the introduction of a law against the excessive influence of oligarchs.

Commission circles recently said that Ukraine has made great progress, but that it would probably not yet be possible to fully assess whether all seven requirements have been met. It is therefore likely that EU countries will be recommended to decide to start accession negotiations, but to set the first negotiation date only after all reform requirements have been met.

In this way, the European Commission would also accommodate all those EU states that believe that progress in the EU accession process should be entirely performance-related. They argue that major frustration could arise, especially in the long-standing candidate countries in the Western Balkans, if the approach, based on progress in reforms, is now deviated for political reasons. They are mainly opposed by Central and Eastern European states who see starting negotiations as a necessary geopolitical investment and argue that the hope of joining the EU is also a motivating factor in the fight against Russian attackers.

Internal reforms are needed
In principle, many in the EU believe that the accession of large countries such as Ukraine can only be a success if internal reforms have taken place beforehand. The decision-making processes in the field of foreign policy, for example, are sometimes very cumbersome because the principle of unanimity usually applies.

Moreover, Ukraine’s huge agricultural sector would likely necessitate a comprehensive reform of EU agricultural subsidies. EU experts recently calculated that without changes, a total of €186 billion in EU funds would flow to Ukraine over a seven-year budget period.