Ukraine expects the European Commission to present it with its negotiation framework for future accession to the European Union no later than 12 March.

"Not later than 12 March, we expect the European Commission to present its negotiation framework and assess our progress in reforms so that by 19 March, EU countries can make a decision," Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine’s Deputy Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, said on the sidelines of the international platform "Restoration of the rights of victims of conflict-related sexual violence: an element of peace and global defeat," as quoted by Liga.net.

Stefanishyna expressed hope that there would be no delays. She noted that there have been "unfortunate cases" when internal problems in the parliament led to appeals to the European Commission, presumably referring to a letter from former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko.

"This practice is not ideal, and I still do not know what impact it will have. I hope that when we say we are all on the same page regarding strategic matters, this will be believed even if there are some exceptions," emphasised the Deputy Prime Minister.

She added that as of 24 February, Ukraine had a clear plan of action, but "it is currently difficult to predict whether it will be implemented due to recent events."

In January, the European Commission began working on the draft negotiation framework for Ukraine – a document that defines the conditions and procedures of EU accession negotiations.

The negotiating framework is expected to be approved at the intergovernmental conference convened after the EU leaders' summit. The convening of the intergovernmental conference marks the actual start of accession negotiations.

The March EU summit is expected to assess Ukraine's recent steps taken to initiate accession negotiations. Among these steps is the approval of the lobbying law.