Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The European Commission will publish an annual assessment of the progress of Ukraine for membership in the European Union on October 30.
The European Commission preparing to provide an assessment of the advancement made by countries on their way to EU membership by late October, including Ukraine, reports the EU Ambassador to Ukraine, KatarĂna Mathernová.
How will the European Commission assess Ukraine’s EU progress?
“I’d just like to report that on October 30, in less than two weeks, we will see the release of the 2024 enlargement package,”
she expressed. According to the ambassador, this is the European Commission’s annual progress assessment for countries seeking EU membership.
“Ukraine will be assessed as well,”
Mathernová stated.
How has the eu supported media outlets in Ukraine?
She pointed out that since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the EU has spent around EUR 15 million to support almost 150 media outlets committed to fact-checking.
According to the ambassador, the circumstances are special in Ukraine, because there is little money. The country is waging a battle, and it costs many lives, as well as money. Therefore, the European Union is one of those who firmly support independent media, she said.
Mathernova verified that she personally participated in seminars for regional media, where journalists are instructed. According to her, independent media and their aid play a fundamental function in the process of Ukraine’s European integration.
Could Ukraine join NATO before the EU, and why?
On 14 December 2023 last year, during a conference in Brussels, the European Council endorsed the start of accession talks with Ukraine. Ukraine was given EU candidate status last year, but the country must satisfy seven conditions to gain full membership. Recently, the First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Oleksandr Korniyenko, indicated that Ukraine could join NATO before becoming a part of the EU, citing the pace of negotiations and the EU’s traditional strategy to enlargement.
