Informal meeting of EU ministers for European affairs took place in Lviv: key results

On 11 December 2025, an informal meeting of European Union ministers for European affairs with the Ukrainian side took place in Lviv. The event brought together European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, Minister for European Affairs of the Kingdom of Denmark (presiding country in the Council of the EU) Marie Bjerre, and Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Taras Kachka. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Yevhen Perebyinis and Director General of the Government Office for Coordination of European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Oleksandr Ilkov also took part.

During the informal meeting, Ukraine's progress towards EU membership was discussed and further steps were outlined. The process of EU enlargement in general was also in focus.

"Thanks to constructive cooperation with our European partners, we have successfully completed the screening phase in record time. Ukraine is finalising the National Programme for the Implementation of the EU Acquis, which will be adopted shortly. The latest European Commission Report confirmed Ukraine's progress in all negotiation clusters. We have proven that a state whose institutions can withstand the challenges of a full-scale war is capable of functioning effectively as a future EU member. We are ready to move forward and open negotiation clusters as soon as political conditions allow," the Deputy Prime Minister said during the meeting.

The European side noted that the informal meeting of EU ministers in Ukraine was an unprecedented event and a strong political signal of support. In addition, the efforts of the Ukrainian Government to promote complex structural reforms even in the context of ongoing full-scale war were acknowledged.

Following the informal meeting, Taras Kachka and Marta Kos issued a joint statement confirming their shared commitment to promoting Ukraine's accession to the EU and accelerating key reforms.

Ukraine highly appreciated the EU's decision to allocate a final tranche of EUR 4.1 billion under the ERA initiative, as well as EUR 1.8 billion provided in November under the Ukraine Facility.

The statement once again strongly condemns the russian federation's ongoing aggression against Ukraine. The European Commission confirmed its unwavering support for Ukraine on its path to a just and lasting peace.

It was emphasised that EU enlargement is a strategic investment in a strong, stable and united Europe based on shared values, and that Ukraine can be an asset to an enlarged and more resilient European Union.

The parties welcomed the completion of the bilateral screening of all negotiating chapters in an unprecedentedly short time and the European Commission's assessment of the readiness of all six clusters for opening. The parties expect the opening of the negotiating clusters, starting with Cluster 1 ‘Fundamentals of the EU accession process’, without delay.

The focus is also on further steps in the area of the rule of law and anti-corruption policy.

For more details, see the Joint Statement.