Emmanuel Macron declared Monday that France had an “unequivocal determination” to support Ukraine “in the long term”, while the possible arrival of the far right to power in Paris arouses concern in kyiv.
“Our support for Ukraine remains and will remain constant and we will continue to mobilize to respond to Ukraine’s immediate needs, to convey the message of our unequivocal determination to stand alongside the Ukrainians in the long term,” explained the president. “In Romania, in Poland, in the Baltic countries, France also fully assumes its responsibilities, takes its part in the effort and will continue to do so,” he added alongside the NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, at the Elysée.
To be able to join the EU, negotiations take place within the framework of an intergovernmental conference (IGC). The Twenty-Seven will first formally open discussions with Ukraine this Tuesday around 3:30 p.m., then with Moldova.
Negotiators will then review the legislation of the two countries to check whether it is compatible with that of the EU. This stage, the “screening” in Brussels jargon, normally lasts one to two years. But in the case of Ukraine or Moldova, things will go faster because “we already have a fairly clear idea” of the situation, underlines a European diplomat, on condition of anonymity.
However, it will take several weeks, even several months, before the different negotiation chapters are actually opened. And it is unlikely that they will be before the end of this year: Hungary, reluctant to welcome Ukraine, takes on July 1 the biannual presidency of the Council of the EU, which brings together the ministers of the Twenty-Seven .
Hello everyone. Like every day, the editorial staff of 20 minutes is mobilized to give you all the information on the conflict. This Tuesday, kyiv has a particularly important meeting in Brussels. The European Union on the one hand, Ukraine and Moldova on the other, will in fact officially launch negotiations in Luxembourg intended to allow these two countries to one day be full members of the EU. Russia has, unsurprisingly, sought by all means to obstruct this process, which promises to be long and difficult.