In preparation for the start of direct negotiations on accession to the EU, Ukraine is launching a legislative screening and will develop roadmaps in the areas of rule of law, freedom of movement of persons (justice, freedom, security), and public administration reform.

This was stated by Olha Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, today during the inaugural meeting of the negotiation process in Brussels (Belgium). The meeting was held in a hybrid format - a part of the Ukrainian delegation, including the Deputy Ministers for European Integration, joined the meeting with the European Commission online.

During the event, the European side presented the peculiarities and stages of the official screening, an assessment of the compliance of Ukrainian legislation with EU law, which is one of the key stages of the negotiation process. The EU has set a schedule of meetings between representatives of Ukrainian ministries and the European Commission as part of the screening process; it was confirmed that official materials (guidance) for preparation will be handed over to the Ukrainian side.

The Deputy Prime Minister stressed that Ukrainian institutions were mobilised and willing to work actively together.

"Screening is the first fundamental step at the beginning of the negotiation process. As we start this process, we are aware of the responsibility that it entails. It is not just a list of reforms, but a collective effort to ensure that Ukraine meets the high standards set by the European Union. In this context, I am pleased to welcome the launch of the European Commission's analytical review of Ukrainian legislation for compliance with the EU acquis," Olha Stefanishyna stressed.

She reminded that even before receiving the official decision of the European Council, Ukraine had carried out a self-screening process that allowed it to determine the progress of adaptation of Ukrainian legislation to the European law, the amount of work to be done, as well as to shape a vision of how to form negotiating teams.

"The DG's expertise, recommendations and constructive feedback will be of great value during the screening process. I look forward to fruitful cooperation," she added.

The Ukrainian side, in turn, presented its vision of the national negotiation architecture. The meeting participants discussed approaches to forming negotiating teams, preparing the EU negotiating framework and Ukraine's negotiating position, holding the first intergovernmental conference and the calendar of cooperation for the coming months.

The EU side was represented at the meeting by Gert Jan Koopman, Director-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR), and Anna Jarosz-Friis, Director of the European Commission's Ukraine Service.

On the eve of the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna met with EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Olivér Várhelyi. During the meeting, they discussed Ukraine's implementation of four recommendations of the European Commission, preparation of the negotiation framework and launch of the screening process. The participants agreed that after the inaugural meeting, a series of meetings between representatives of Ukrainian ministries and the European Commission (DG NEAR) would be held as part of the screening process.

The Deputy Prime Minister stressed that the Ukrainian side had all the necessary capacities to move forward dynamically.