The European Commission on Tuesday said it had proposed frameworks for accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova to member states, edging them forward on their quest to join.
European Union leaders agreed in December to open membership negotiations with Kyiv in a historic move almost two years into Russia’s war on the country.
They also agreed at the same time to begin talks with its neighbour Moldova.
For the EU and the candidate countries to actually start the talks the bloc’s executive has to draw up a framework, which now must be approved by all 27 EU member states.
“The negotiating frameworks establish the guidelines and principles for the accession negotiations with each candidate country,” the commission said.
“It is now for the Council (EU member states) to begin their internal deliberations on these texts.”
The commission was forced to speed up after its head Ursula von der Leyen last month upset Kyiv and its strongest EU supporters by saying the framework for talks would not be put forward until after European Parliament elections in June.
In December, Brussels said Ukraine needed to meet conditions set out a year ago on issues such as judicial reforms and fighting corruption to move to the next step.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the EU’s most pro-Russian leader, has repeatedly spoken out against Ukraine’s membership bid, though he allowed the decision to open talks to go through late last year.
If the EU and Ukraine launch formal talks it will likely still be many years before the war-torn country can complete the painstaking reforms needed to enter the bloc.
Russia’s war on its neighbour has reinvigorated an EU drive to expand in central and eastern Europe, with the commission on Tuesday also recommending to member states to start talks with Bosnia.
