EU expansion all but certain – Germany
The European Union will
eventually expand and span “from Lisbon to Luhansk,” German Foreign
Minister Annalena Baerbock said at a Council of the European Union meeting in
Kyiv on Oct. 2.
“Ukraine's future lies in the European Union, in our community of freedom, and soon it will expand from Lisbon to Luhansk,” said Baerbock.
“With every village, with every city that Ukraine liberates, it also expands its path to the EU.”
Brussels support Ukraine on this path, Baerbock said, adding that Kyiv has already successfully carried out a number of key reforms while defending from Russia’s armed aggression.
"These include changing justice and media legislation, as well as fighting corruption; we know our partners in Ukraine can expand on this,” the official added.
On Sept. 21, the chairman of the ruling Servants of the People party, Davyd Arakhamia, stated that the Ukrainian parliament has passed 99.9% of the bills required by the European Union to start negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the bloc.
On Sept. 27, Bloomberg reported that the European Commission would recommend starting substantive negotiations on Ukraine's EU membership.
Just four days after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, on Feb. 28, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed an application for Ukraine to join the European Union.
On June 17, 2022, the European Commission recommended granting Ukraine EU candidate status.
European Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius declared on Aug. 21 that “Ukraine’s progress towards meeting the conditions for EU accession is impressive.” He added that the reforms already undertaken, particularly in the judicial system and media freedom, are “crucial, almost fundamental, like the glue that binds the EU.”
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