Why Stefanishyna was appointed as Minister of Justice, what’s next in EU talks and challenges ahead

Among this week's government reboot, the dismissal and reappointment of Olha Stefanishyna was one of the least contentious but still surprising. On Wednesday, she was dismissed from her position as Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration. The following day, she was reappointed as Deputy Prime Minister and also made Minister of Justice.

In an interview with EuroPravda editor Sergiy Sydorenko, Stefanishyna discussed these changes, the fututre of the EU negotiations, potential constitutional amendments and other challenges.

I am both the Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration and the Minister of Justice at the same time.

I am first and foremost the Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration. So all of my work in the capacity of Minister of Justice will be infused with the spirit of the Deputy Prime Minister's responsibilities.

Ultimately, Ukraine's negotiations on EU membership, from start to finish, will be connected with tasks in the areas of fundamental rights and the rule of law, which also relates to the Ministry of Justice, responsible for legal policy and human rights.

Thanks to this merging with the Ministry of Justice, my capacity as Deputy Prime Minister should be strengthened.

But I have a plan and a vision of how to organise this work properly.

I agree that ultimately the responsibility will lie with me as the minister, but the Justice Ministry has deputies, and the delegation of responsibilities will be a priority.

I know the team at the Ministry of Justice and have no fundamental objections to it.

Of course, I will now communicate with all the deputies. We will determine whether we have a common path or not. But I do not intend to make any radical decisions.

What will definitely change is that the Ministry of Justice will be strengthened in terms of European integration.

I also have a vision for a deeper reform of the Ministry of Justice.

However, EU accession negotiations remain the priority.

The next update will be the European Commission’s enlargement report, which will be ready in October, though the exact date of its release is unknown. I call it a "snapshot of statehood".

Based on this report, we will establish the basis of our negotiating position with the EU in each area.

By the end of the year, we must complete all the work related to the Fundamentals cluster so that we are ready to open negotiations in this area.

I believe that in the first half of 2025, we will also be able to open negotiations on the Internal Market cluster. This section is like a "micro-constitution" of membership, covering the key issues we need to address as quickly as possible.

We are preparing to open the Internal Market cluster at the same time. These are the basic issues we need to address as quickly as possible to move more effectively on other fronts.

Challenges will undoubtedly arise. They will arise constantly and regularly. This is normal functioning within the EU. That's why the president has set the task of building strong relationships with our neighbours.

And I’d like to emphasise that this isn’t just about Hungary.

I’m absolutely convinced that this new phase of rebooting the government, combining my role as Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister, will be a success. I see tremendous value in it.

I believe that my work in this role will finally help erase the atmosphere of false, mistaken perceptions of our country as one of inferior, corrupt and insecure officials.