Ukraine does not lack commitment on its way to EU membership and will not let its European partners down. This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna during a discussion at the European Policy Center (EPC) on Friday, September 15.

Gert Jan Koopman, Director-General for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations of the European Commission, also took part in the discussion.

"Ukraine's progress in implementing the political reforms outlined in the seven recommendations would not have been possible without the well-established cooperation with the EU. This is not an easy process, but we have excellent interaction at all levels with the European Commission, and the dialogue we have brings a lot of clarity, allows us to set priorities for the coming years, and, of course, helps to mobilize and maintain political unity on reforms within the country," the Deputy Prime Minister said.

She noted that the seven recommendations having received by Ukraine along with the EU candidate status were necessary to bring Ukraine closer to meeting the Copenhagen criteria in terms of the rule of law and fundamental rights.

"We have already fulfilled the EU recommendations on the necessary legislative work in the judicial and media spheres, but the reforms are ongoing. These are existential transformations, and the work in this direction, after the positive assessment of the European Commission, has not ended," said Olha Stefanishyna.

At the same time, the efforts of all branches of government are now also focused on completing the implementation of the remaining identified steps, in particular on issues related to the fight against corruption and the relaunch of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine. The Deputy Prime Minister noted that Ukraine was already preparing to launch a competition to select judges to the new Constitutional Court, in particular, it was looking forward to the appointment of international experts.

"I am confident that at this stage we will be able to demonstrate progress and commitments sufficient to start negotiations on our country's accession to the EU. First of all, we are pushed and inspired by the Ukrainian people. I never tire of repeating that these decisions are crucial for unity within Ukraine, for continuing reforms and transformations during the war," said Olha Stefanishyna.

For his part, Gert Jan Koopman noted that Ukraine should make every effort to complete the implementation of the seven recommendations.

"If the accession negotiations start, Ukraine will still need to continue to make changes and put in more effort. Enlargement is a transformative process," said the Director-General for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations of the European Commission.

Discussing the enlargement of the European Union and the necessary reforms within the bloc, the official noted that even before the full-scale invasion of russia, during the Covid-19 pandemic, it had become clear that the EU had been flexible and capable of adapting to new challenges.

"With the outbreak of war in the center of Europe, when one of the world's largest armies attacked Ukraine, the EU became one of the key players. For the first time in its history, the Union has decided to finance military support for a third country rather than a member state. We do not have any concerns about the EU's ability to adapt to enlargement and the opportunities it brings. Just 4 years ago, the issue of enlargement was a taboo topic, it was not a subject for discussion within the bloc. And now we are talking about reforming the EU and its ability to expand, and if there is a will, a way will be found. We are also flexible and will be able not only to adapt to this transformation, but also to strengthen it in all possible ways," the Deputy Prime Minister added.

The Director-General for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations of the European Commission noted that the enlargement process was not a "zero-sum game" and all parties were interested in doing it the right way.

"Enlargement in the Western Balkans was a very slow process. We need to avoid repeating the same mistake in Eastern Europe and correct it in the Balkans," he said.