Photo: Alexey Nikolsky/TASS
BRUSSELS, 22 March /TASS/. The European Union will officially launch accession talks with Ukraine by the end of June, according to European Council President Charles Michel. Michel hopes that under the Belgian presidency it will be possible to with Ukraine to hold the first intergovernmental conference.
He told reporters in Brussels that he expected the talks to start during the Belgian presidency, which ends on 30 June 2024.
"I sincerely hope that under the Belgian Presidency it will be possible to hold the first IGC with Ukraine," Michel said.
Michel and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen once again pledged to stand by Ukraine.
At the same time, the joint declaration adopted by the EU heads of state and government after the first day of their summit does not mention exact deadlines.
"The European Council welcomes the progress made by Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova in advancing the necessary reforms on their path to the EU," the document states.
During the December European Council meeting, when the decision was taken on the possible launch of accession talks with Ukraine, von der Leyen said that provided Kiev meets the remaining EU requirements, consultations could start as early as March.
Later, a number of European media reported that the European Commission was ready to postpone the start of the talks because of farmers' protests.
Accession talks do not set a specific timeframe for a country to join the EU, but can continue indefinitely. For example, talks on Turkey's EU membership started in 2005 and their prospects are still unclear.
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