Ukraine would like to join the European Union in two years, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said in an interview with Politico. The journalists noted that no one in the EU believes it is realistic for the country to fulfil all the conditions for membership in that time.
“We have a very ambitious plan to join the European Union within the next two years. So we expect that this year, in 2023, we can already have this pre-entry stage of negotiations,” he said.
PM hopes that on Friday, at the Ukraine-EU summit, Ukraine can achieve a “substantial leap forward” on Friday, particularly in specific areas — an agreement on a visa-free regime for industrial goods, the suspension of customs duties on Ukrainian exports for another year, and “active progress” on joining the SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area) payments scheme and the inclusion of Ukraine into the EU’s mobile roaming area.
“We expect progress and acceleration on our path towards signing these agreements,” he said.
One of the main points for Ukraine's accession to the European Union is the struggle against corruption.
“We need a reformed Ukraine,” said one senior EU official involved in preparations for the summit. “We cannot have the same Ukraine as before the war.”
On 23 June, Ukraine received the candidate membership of the EU status. To become a full-fledged member, the state must fulfil a number of requirements.