World

EU demands Ukraine to accelerate reforms for accession

Rescuers conduct search and rescue operation for those missing at a Ukrainian aid centre in Zaporizhzhia Region, Ukraine. — Reuters
 
Rescuers conduct search and rescue operation for those missing at a Ukrainian aid centre in Zaporizhzhia Region, Ukraine. — Reuters

BRUSSELS: Ukraine would need to speed up ​reforms if Kyiv wants to ​meet its own European Union accession negotiation goal, the European Commission said in a report on Wednesday. 'The Ukrainian government has signalled its objective to close accession negotiations by the end of 2028,” the EU’s executive body said in a ⁠report on enlargement policy. 'The Commission is committed to support ⁠this ambitious objective but considers that to meet it an acceleration of the pace of reforms is required,” it added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has made ‌EU membership a core foreign policy goal, ​presenting it as ⁠a way to ensure long-term prosperity and security ​for both his country and Europe ‌as a whole in the face of Russian aggression.
The process for joining the bloc ​is usually long and bureaucratic, involving years of detailed negotiations and legal reforms to meet EU standards. Accession also requires ratification by all the EU's current members. 'Amid the difficult circumstances brought by Russia’s ongoing war of aggression, ‌Ukraine remained committed to the EU integration reform agenda,” the ​Commission said in its report, adding that Ukraine should now focus ​on ‌meeting ⁠rule of law standards and delivering on an action plan on national minorities. — Reuters