Ukrainian government calls EU enlargement report the best in three years
Taras Kachka, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, has described the European Commission's annual enlargement report for all candidate countries as the best in three years.
According to Kachka, for the first time, the European Commission has recognised that Ukraine is showing record progress in most areas of reform.
"The best enlargement report in three years – such an assessment of Ukraine's efforts on its path to EU membership will be published today," he wrote on Facebook.
The report contains 36 assessments across chapters and individual roadmaps. As Kachka noted, Ukraine has shown progress in all of them without exception and is moving faster than last year.
"There is greater reform momentum (improved progress) in 15 negotiating chapters. In 12 chapters, this progress is at a high level (good progress). In none of the chapters has the overall rating of readiness for EU accession declined. In 11 chapters, we have an increased overall rating – the best dynamic since obtaining candidate status," Kachka outlined.
"According to the methodology already established in Ukraine, the average level of progress is 3.16 – an increase of +0.39 (compared to +0.01 last year), and the overall level of readiness is 2.53 – an increase of +0.32 (compared to +0.025 last year)," Kachka specified.
He added that the report does not contain criticism but includes recommendations for next steps, which align with the screening reports and roadmaps. In the areas of justice and anti-corruption, it notes the systematic work of institutions.
"The European Commission sees that Ukraine is moving from adopting laws to the real implementation of European standards – in public administration, the judiciary, the economy, digitalisation and education. We will preserve and develop this progress," the deputy PM stressed.
He also highlighted the fact that the European Commission confirms Ukraine's readiness to open negotiating clusters 1, 2 and 6. "The others are showing good dynamics to be ready for opening by the end of the year," Kachka noted.
European Pravda has previously reported that the annual enlargement report prepared by the European Commission for all candidate countries has been agreed among EU institutions in a version that gives a positive assessment of Ukraine's reform progress.
The European Commission explained that the document is balanced and confirms that Ukraine is among the four countries advancing towards EU membership, along with Moldova, Albania and Montenegro. The latter two are said to have made greater progress.
European Pravda is preparing a more detailed analysis of the report following its publication.
Read more on the 2024 report: From "corruption" to newscast: what EU expects from Ukraine and how it assesses its readiness to join