On June 19, Reuters, referring to 2 anonymous sources in the European Union, reported that Ukraine had fulfilled only 2 conditions out of 7 so far. Still, there is progress, and the European Commission will note this.
Ukraine has received the status of a candidate member of the EU in record terms. However, in order to start negotiations on membership, first, our country must fulfil 7 reform conditions regarding corruption and oligarchs, judicial reform, legislation, protection of national minorities, and so on. Sources note that, most likely, this work will take years, although the dynamics of Ukraine are quite positive.
"There is progress. The report will be moderately positive. It's not about embellishing reality but recognising progress, there have been prominent anti-corruption cases to name, for example," according to a Reuters' source familiar with the so far unpublished report of the European Commission. According to him, the changes concern judicial reform and media law.
"On reforms, it would be glass half full, we would never adopt a negative tone towards Ukraine at the moment. Judiciary reforms have seen some progress, though there are still key ones to be carried out. Not all is satisfactory," reports another source. He also noted the appointment of other heads of the specialised anti-corruption prosecutor's office and the National anti-corruption bureau in accordance with the requirements of the European Commission. Moreover, these conditions were met even though the law on oligarchs was rejected as insufficient.
This interim report will be sent to the 27 EU member states on June 21, followed by a discussion in Stockholm on June 22. An official assessment will be released in October this year. That's when it will be decided whether (and when) or not to start negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the European Union.
