BREAKING: European Council agrees to open accession talks with Ukraine, Moldova.
Editor's Note: This is a developing story. The European Council has agreed to open accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova, European Council President Charles Michel announced on Dec.
14. Michel made the announcement during the two-day summit in Brussels amid worries that Hungary would block the start of the negotiations.
"It shows the credibility of the European Union, the strength of the European Union. The decision is made," Michel told the journalists in Brussels. "It is important that no member states would oppose the decision, this is why we were in a position to make this announcement tonight." An EU source told the Kyiv Independent that "PM Orban was momentarily absent from the room in a pre-agreed and constructive manner."
Michel said the work will continue on the multi-annual framework in the hours to come as leaders juggle financial support for Ukraine with other priorities of the European Union, calling the debate difficult. The Council also granted candidate status to Georgia. The EU will open negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina after progress in membership criteria is reached, Michel said.
"A clear signal of hope for their people and for our continent," Michel commented. Ukraine and Moldova were granted candidate status last June, after which Kyiv was presented with seven criteria that need to be fulfilled to enter the EU. The European Commission issued a favorable assessment of Ukraine's progress in November and recommended the launch of the accession talks.
According to the Commission's report from Nov.
8, Kyiv fulfilled four of the seven criteria pertaining to two judicial reforms, the alignment of anti-money laundering legislation, and media reform. Earlier this week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the country is well on its way to fulfilling even the remaining recommendations. Despite Ukraine's progress, Hungary appeared determined to block the start of the talks.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has friendly ties with Russia, has also opposed discussing the £54 billion package to finance Ukraine's recovery in the EU's budget and said that Ukraine is "light years" away from EU membership. The remaining 26 EU member states were determined to overcome Hungary's objections and move forward with key priorities for Ukraine, senior EU officials told journalists on Dec.
13. Shortly before the summit, Budapest signaled some willingness to compromise, saying it would be open to funding for Ukraine in exchange for releasing frozen EU funds earmarked for Hungary.
The European Commission released around £11 billion in EU cohesion funds on Dec.
13 but insisted this decision was in reaction to Hungary's judicial reform adopted in May.
Zelensky says Ukraine has fulfilled EU membership obligations
Ukraine has fulfilled membership obligations set by the European Commission, President Zelensky told Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in a phone call on Dec.
13, the presidential office revealed.
