BREAKING: EU member states greenlight Ukraine, Moldova negotiating frameworks

5 months ago 20

After weeks of wrangling, EU ambassadors late Friday (14 June) evening, agreed in principle on the negotiating frameworks for the accession negotiations of Ukraine and Moldova.

The Belgian EU presidency said it will call the first intergovernmental conferences (IGC) on 25 June, when European affairs ministers are scheduled to meet in Luxembourg.

The surprise decision came after the European Commission last week said that both Ukraine and Moldova are sufficiently ready for the formal opening of EU accession talks and a majority of member states had pushed for their approval.

Hungary, which had been the last hold-out for the decision, removed its long-standing veto after additional phrasing on national minorities and protection of minority languages was added to Ukraine’s negotiating framework, EU diplomats said.

“Ukraine will adopt, through an inclusive process, an Action Plan dedicated to the protection of the rights of persons belonging to national minorities, including inter alia, in the field of non-discrimination, fight against hate speech, the use of minority languages and minority language education, setting up effective measures, reporting mechanisms and identifying respective responsible institutions,” the updated text reads.

“The rights of persons belonging to national minorities should be protected, in line with the constitution of Ukraine,” it states.

“Furthermore, Ukraine is expected to implement in good faith relevant bilateral agreements with EU member states,” the text adds.

The added language is essentially a copy-and-paste of the negotiation framework that the European Commission drafted for Albania and North Macedonia in 2020.

However, the decision is still pending parliamentary approval in the Netherlands, where a debate is scheduled for Thursday (20 June).

EU diplomats said that despite the new Dutch far-right coalition, the decision is expected to be approved in The Hague.

“The [Dutch] government shares the [European] Commission’s assessment that both Ukraine and Moldova have taken the steps relevant to this phase and thus comply with the Commission’s recommendations of 8 November 2023,” the Dutch Foreign Ministry said in a letter, addressed to the chair of the Dutch parliament, seen by Euractiv.

“On this basis, the Netherlands intends to agree to the adoption of the negotiating frameworks for Ukraine and Moldova and the organization of the first IGCs with both countries,” it stated.

Formal validation of the decision could take place when EU finance ministers meet next week on Friday (21 June).

[Edited by Rajnish Singh]