EU says Ukraine has fulfilled only 2 of 7 candidate criteria, but report will be “positive”

According to the European Commission, Ukraine has fulfilled two of the seven conditions for the start of EU membership negotiations, at the same time Brussels notes the progress made despite Russia's full-scale war. Source: Reuters referencing two diplomatic EU sources, reported by European Pravda Details: In the preliminary oral assessment of progress towards membership, which the European Commission will provide on 22 June, it will state that Ukraine has fully implemented two of the seven recommendations related to judicial reform and media legislation.

"There is progress. The report will be moderately positive. It's not about embellishing reality but recognising progress, there have been prominent anti-corruption cases to name, for example," a source told Reuters on conditions of anonymity.

Another source in EU diplomatic circles added that Brussels "would never adopt a negative tone towards Ukraine at the moment".

"Judiciary reforms have seen some progress, though there are still key ones to be carried out. Not all is satisfactory," the official told Reuters, adding that the 2022 anti-oligarch law was deemed insufficient. The EU's assessment generally coincides with that of the Ukrainian civil society, with people rating judicial reforms and media legislation highly.

In terms of judicial reforms, the formation of the High Qualification Commission of Judges has recently indicated new progress in this area.

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The fact that Ukraine has not yet fully achieved success on five criteria is not necessarily a problem, especially given Ukraine's significant achievements on a number of those criteria. But the details of the European Commission's assessment have not been disclosed.

The interim report on Ukraine's, Moldova's and Georgia's implementation of the European Commission's recommendations will be presented to the representatives of EU countries on Wednesday, 21 June, and during the meeting of foreign ministers of EU states in Stockholm on Thursday, 22 June.

Read more on Ukraine's challenges and achievements on the path to EU membership here.

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