Ukraine expects to begin the first stage of negotiations with the European Union (EU) on joining the 27-member state bloc, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Taras Kachka said.
This stage, called the “Foundations of the EU Accession Process” round, will focus on Ukraine’s key commitments and reforms that are needed to move closer to EU membership.
“This step will help consolidate Ukraine’s commitments and reforms within the roadmap and make the reform process even more consistent,” the statement reads.
Kyiv hopes all the EU member states will support moving the process forward. Kachka also highlighted the importance of continuing the parallel accession process for Ukraine and Moldova.
On Aug. 18–19, the deputy prime minister held a series of online meetings with European colleagues, the statement said.
The main focus of the discussions was coordinating positions ahead of the informal meeting of EU ministers for European affairs, including enlargement countries, scheduled for early September in Copenhagen, Denmark.
“The key topic of this event will be the various aspects of EU enlargement,” the statement reads.