JRL NEWSWATCH: “Slow but steady: Ukraine inches closer to joining the EU; Formal accession talks should now begin in December” – The Economist
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“… On November 8th the European Commission in Brussels unveiled its annual assessment of how countries who aspire to become EU members are getting on with the reforms needed to do so. Eight are actively vying to join as well as Ukraine, including Georgia, Moldova and six countries in the western Balkans …. (Turkey is nominally still a candidate … but … placed on hold.) Ukraine is by far the biggest of the active applicants. The upshot … is that Ukraine and Moldova should be given the green light to start formal negotiations to join by the end of the year — once … leaders of … [EU] members approve the commission’s recommendation. … Ukraine is expected to deliver further reforms around the treatment of minorities, ‘de-oligarchisation’ and combating corruption as a condition to keep making progress in talks. European officials helping [Ukrainian] colleagues … have been impressed by [Ukraine’s] progress made. …”
Ukraine and Moldova were previously granted the status of ‘candidate countries,’ in June 2022, so that their new status is considered an upgrade.
For Croatia, which became the most recent new EU member in 2013, negotiations took six years.
President of the European Council Charles Michel has raised the prospect of 2030 as a target date for Ukrainian accession, yet that time frame is reportedly widely regarded as overly ambitious.
New EU members must receive unanimous approval from all member states at every stage of the process.