EU сommissioner for enlargement arrives in Ukraine on three-day visit
Marta Kos, EU Commissioner for Enlargement, has arrived in Ukraine on a three-day official visit, starting from Zakarpattia Oblast (Transcarpathia) in Ukraine's west.
Kos arrived "to reaffirm the EU's steadfast commitment to the country's European future and to mark the conclusion of the EU accession screening process, underscoring Ukraine's progress towards EU membership".
On the first day of her visit on Monday 29 September, the commissioner is set to visit schools for students from the Hungarian and Slovak minorities in Zakarpattia Oblast and meet representatives of the Council of National Minorities of Ukraine to discuss the latest steps taken by Ukraine in this area, particularly the Action Plan on National Minorities adopted in May.
Kos will also visit "the newly inaugurated railway built using Europe's track width standard".
On Tuesday 30 September, the agenda features meetings on decentralisation reform with representatives of regional authorities, participation in the Ukrainian Resilience Week programme, a visit to the Unbroken rehabilitation centre and an EU-funded housing project for internally displaced people and war veterans, and meetings with civil society representatives.
On Wednesday 1 October, Kos will be in Kyiv to discuss the agenda of European integration reforms with representatives of the Ukrainian government and the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament). Meetings with representatives of Ukrainian anti-corruption bodies are also scheduled "to emphasise the importance of rule of law and anti-corruption reforms on Ukraine's path to EU accession".
Kos insists on opening the first negotiating cluster with Ukraine, as the country has fulfilled all the necessary conditions.
Unofficial reports indicate that European Council President António Costa is persuading EU capitals to bypass Hungary in order to unblock Ukraine's accession process.
Read more: Getting round Orbán: how to unblock Ukraine's road to the EU