EU completes audit of Ukrainian laws
The European Commission has finished its screening of Ukrainian legislation, paving the way for the next phase of Kyiv’s bid to join the European Union, EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos announced on Sept. 29.
Kos announced the milestone at a news conference in Uzhhorod, Zakarpattya Oblast, the first stop on her three-day visit to Ukraine. Her team reviewed more than 100,000 pages of Ukrainian laws and compared them with corresponding EU legislation—a process completed in under a year, faster than ever before, she said.
“Now we know how to move forward,” Ukrainian state news agency Ukrinform quoted Kos.
“We will discuss the next steps in Kyiv.”
According to RFE/RL, Kos added that the commission hopes to open substantive accession negotiations soon.
“I very much hope that we can open negotiations on the first cluster in the near future, with a green light from Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada [parliament],” the commissioner said.
During her visit, Kos toured schools offering tuition in Slovak and Hungarian. She underscored that protections for national minorities are a key element in EU accession talks, both at the outset and at the conclusion of the process. Zakarpattya, she noted, is “a true European region” where Ukrainians live alongside Hungarians, Slovaks, Czechs, and Poles.
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