EU chief diplomat Josep Borrell has said that the EU had been delaying its enlargement for too long, but now, thanks to Ukraine, the process will move faster.

Borrel was commenting to journalists at an informal EU leaders summit in Granada on 6 October on the need for a tentative date for the next EU enlargement, which has been hotly debated in the European Union recently. The debate started after the head of the European Council, Charles Michel, proposed 2030 as a benchmark.

"It's good to have a target, it's good to have a horizon. This is a political horizon. The purpose of a fixed date is just to mobilise political energy to start moving. It does not mean that it has to be a precise date. If we don't have a horizon, people will start thinking: ‘Okay, we have time’. But we don't have time," he said.

He noted that the EU had been delaying the enlargement process for a very long time. But now, thanks to Ukraine's application as a new candidate, Borrell expects the enlargement process to speed up.

"It (Ukraine – ed.) has pushed the queue, and the queue will move, and we will move quickly," Borell added.

In late August, European Council President Charles Michel said he wanted the EU to be ready for enlargement by 2030. However, there are supporters in the EU who do not want to be tied to any timeframe for the accession of new members.

The Ukrainian authorities claim that they are ready to complete their part of the work for accession as soon as possible. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that Kyiv wants to put "a report on the table that proves that we are ready" in two years. However, he emphasised that after that, it would take time to approve Ukraine's accession.

Read more Lack of EU Courage. Ukraine's Ways and Means of Joining the Union