Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine's Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, has stated that Ukraine will not fully meet all seven EU criteria by October. However, accession negotiations will still begin.

According to Stefanishyna, these criteria involve fundamental reforms, which will take years to implement.

"In October, we won't hear that all seven requirements have been fulfilled by us 100%, as it's a massive task that will take years," she stated.

Instead, she assures that by October, Ukraine will adopt "all agreed-upon legislative and institutional changes."

"Our task is to ensure that these new challenges do not become conditions for opening negotiations," she added.

Stefanishyna is sure that Ukraine will fulfill the requirement to restore submission of asset declarations for public officials and local government representatives.

The Vice Prime Minister emphasised that the political decision to start negotiations on Ukraine's EU membership will be made. She considers December to be the "last opportunity for making a political decision to start negotiations."

In late June, the European Commission provided an interim assessment of Ukraine's progress on its EU path. Ukraine has fulfilled two of the seven conditions for the start of EU membership negotiations, at the same time Brussels notes the progress made despite Russia's full-scale war.