Ukraine Is Moving at "Speed of Light" Towards EU Standards – Ambassador

Ukraine's Ambassador to the European Union, Vsevolod Chentsov, asserts that Kyiv is moving "extremely quickly" in terms of EU membership.

As Chentsov stated in an interview with "Ukrainske Radio," "probably no country has moved as quickly to the stage of starting negotiations" for EU accession as Ukraine.

"If we remember that we submitted the application in late February 2022, and within a few months, in June, we were granted candidate status, and we expect negotiations by the end of this year, then we are moving at the speed of light towards EU standards," he emphasised.

Commenting on the so-called oral assessment of the European Commission on the criteria fulfillment, Chentsov noted that the only two criteria that have been fully met "should not cause disappointment or dissatisfaction. On the contrary, we currently have a clear understanding of what needs to be done to move to the next stage."

In his opinion, Ukraine will have an easier time during the negotiation stage for EU accession since this process effectively started in 2014 within the framework of the Association Agreement.

"Even before the signing of this Agreement in 2014, we had already adapted a significant part of our legislation, and now it will be much easier for us to complete this adaptation compared to the situation before the signing of the Agreement," explained the diplomat.

"In other words, the European Commission needs to screen our legislation, understand where we stand at the beginning of negotiations, and define tasks for each of the 35 chapters," he added.

The European Commission presented an oral interim assessment of Ukraine's progress toward the EU. The European Commission believes Ukraine has fully met two out of the seven conditions needed for opening accession negotiations. They also mentioned progress on the remaining conditions.

The government predicts Ukraine will fulfill the remaining EU candidate recommendations by October.