Political commitments from EU leaders needed alongside Ukraine meeting membership criteria - Kos
European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos is convinced that the process of Ukraine's accession to the European Union requires not only Kyiv's fulfillment of all criteria but also corresponding commitments from the leaders of member states.
She expressed this view in Brussels on Tuesday at a press conference following the third Ukraine-EU Intergovernmental Conference on membership, answering a question regarding the possible timeline for completing the negotiation process.
According to Kos, the accession process rests on two pillars: a technical one, focused on candidate performance and meeting membership criteria, and a political one, linked to dynamics within member states. She noted that it would be highly beneficial to secure specific commitments from EU leaders as well.
The European Commissioner stated that EU leaders will discuss the enlargement process at a European Council meeting in October. She expressed hope that they would back the accession process with actions similar to the 1999 Helsinki summit, where leaders committed to ensuring the European Union would be ready to accept new members by 2002, provided they met all criteria.
Kos emphasized that the membership process requires both sides to step up, concluding that while candidate results are essential first, strong commitment from EU leaders is equally vital in these geopolitical times, especially given that the current methodology has remained largely unchanged for forty years.