The European Union intends to start negotiations with Ukraine on joining the bloc by July 1. This was reported by Politico.


Today, representatives of the governments of 27 EU countries will consider the draft framework program for the Commission's negotiations on the accession of Ukraine and Moldova to the EU. Time is of the essence, as Hungary will take over the presidency of the EU Council on July 1.

One European official noted that the Belgian presidency is keen to start negotiations at the Council on Common Issues, a meeting of EU affairs ministers that will take place on June 25.

While the latest European Commission report on Ukraine notes that more reforms are needed, the Ukrainian government has already done much of the necessary work. This includes reforms to protect ethnic and linguistic minorities recommended by the Venice Commission.

Some officials do not want to wait for the next report to confirm Ukraine's progress, fearing that the enlargement commissioner, Hungarian Oliver Varhelyi, could drag out the process.

One senior official said that Varhelyi would not rush the issue.

Diplomats do not expect an agreement to be signed today, given the complexity of the technical issues. It is planned to start discussions at the ambassadorial level on sensitive issues.