We have to align technological progress with political decisions: Taras Kachka

On 11 May, an informal meeting of the EU General Affairs Council (GAC) took place in Nicosia, Cyprus, attended by ministers and representatives of the European Union member states, the European Commission, and candidate countries. The Ukrainian side was represented by Taras Kachka, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine. The meeting focused on further development of the European Union’s enlargement policy, the progress of negotiations with candidate countries, and in particular the next steps to advance Ukraine’s path towards EU membership.

In his speech, Taras Kachka emphasised that Ukraine’s accession to the EU is important today not only for Ukraine, as it is a strategic issue of security and trust in the European Union’s enlargement policy as a whole.

“Ukraine has already fulfilled all the technical conditions for opening negotiation clusters. We have completed the screening process in record time, adopted the National Programme for the Adaptation of the EU Acquis, and are continuing with systemic reforms even in the midst of a full-scale war. Our task now is to synchronise technical progress with political decisions and unblock the official negotiation process,” the Deputy Prime Minister emphasised. 

During the meeting, particular attention was paid to the need to open the negotiation clusters as soon as possible, first and foremost Cluster 1 ‘Fundamentals' of the EU accession process, as well as to further advancing Ukraine’s sectoral integration into the EU’s internal market. 

The Ukrainian side emphasised that deepening integration into the EU Single Market already during the negotiation process should become one of the key elements of the joint approach between Ukraine and the EU. In particular, the discussion focused on the need to advance negotiations on the conclusion of the Agreement on Conformity Assessment and Acceptance of Industrial Products (ACAA, or the so-called “industrial visa-free regime”), the involvement of Ukrainian sectoral associations in strategic dialogues with the European Commission, and the further, broader integration of the Ukrainian economy into European production and security chains. 

During the discussion, it was noted that Ukraine continues to implement key reforms in the areas of the rule of law, the judiciary and anti-corruption policy. The Ukrainian side reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to implementing the necessary reforms, in particular within the framework of the National Programme for the Adaptation of Ukrainian Legislation to the Law of the European Union (EU acquis) and the key agreements reached with the European Commission. 

During the meeting, Taras Kachka also held a series of bilateral meetings with European partners on Ukraine’s progress towards European integration and the strengthening of cooperation.