The bilateral screening process of Ukrainian legislation for compliance with EU standards will continue until the fall of 2025, European Pravda reported on Jan. 27, citing the European Commission's spokesperson.
Ukraine applied for EU membership at the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. The country has made quick progress, achieving candidate status within months, with the initial negotiations process formally launching in June 2024.
If Ukraine fulfills all the requirements, the commission expects the launch of cluster negotiations, starting with Cluster I, "Fundamentals," "as soon as possible" in 2025, the spokesperson told the Ukrainian media outlet.
The commission submitted the first Cluster I screening report for Ukraine on Jan. 16. The Cluster I opens first and closes last in the EU accession negotiations.
The presentation of the report is the first step in the EU accession negotiations, during which the commission familiarizes the candidate country with its rights and obligations. During the second stage, the commission assesses the candidate's progress in terms of legal harmonization and ability to apply the EU acquis.
The screening report will then be discussed with member states in the EU Council, European Pravda reported. The spokesperson added that a unanimous decision of all EU member states is required in accession negotiations.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Jan. 15 that Ukraine has the "ambitious goal" of opening five or all the six EU accession negotiation clusters in 2025.
Ukraine will open two or three negotiation clusters in the first six months of 2025 under Poland's rotating presidency, and three more during the second half of the year under the Danish presidency, the president said.
Kateryna Hodunova
