The Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and Minister of Justice of Ukraine Olha Stefanishyna held the first bilateral meeting with the newly appointed European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, who had arrived in Kyiv on 1 December for her first visit together with the President of the European Council, António Costa, and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas.

The Deputy Prime Minister congratulated Marta Kos on taking up her office, noting the key role of the EU enlargement process for the future of the whole of Europe at this critical time: "I hope you will be more than just a European Commissioner, under whose leadership EU enlargement will become a reality."

"Integration into the EU is what unites the Ukrainian society. It is about restoring justice and returning Ukraine to the European family. That is why, despite the challenges of a full-scale war, we maintain high mobilisation around the reform process of all branches of government and civil society," Olha Stefanishyna emphasised.

The Deputy Prime Minister informed her European colleagues about the steps Ukraine was taking towards structural transformations, including those necessary for EU membership. She emphasised the special attention paid to the rule of law and justice.

"As the Minister of Justice, I can assure you of the priority of the issues included in the first, key Cluster of the negotiation process. For our part, we will do everything necessary to open the first Cluster on fundamental issues as soon as possible," the official said.

In this context, she informed about the steps taken by Ukraine to prepare roadmaps that will serve as a guide for further transformations and build confidence in Ukraine's progress on the path of reforms.

The European Commissioner, for her part, stressed the importance of uniting the efforts of the whole society, various governmental and non-governmental actors, to effectively move towards EU membership. She also emphasised the prioritisation of enlargement-related issues within the new European Commission.

In conclusion, Marta Kos assured of unwavering, strong support for Ukraine and its European future. The participants agreed to maintain a close, regular dialogue.

The meeting was also attended by Gert Jan Koopman, Head of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Enlargement Negotiations, and Oleksandr Ilkov, Director General of the Government Office for Coordination of European and Euro-Atlantic Integration.