Zelensky instructs government to prepare accelerated EU accession programme
President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked the prime minister and a deputy prime minister to draw up a programme for Ukraine's faster entry into the European Union, with details expected in August.
In his evening address on August 4, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had instructed the prime minister and the relevant deputy prime minister to prepare a programme for accelerated EU accession, which would become part of the government's action plan. The report was published by European Pravda.
Zelensky said earlier that day he had discussed with ministers and the president's diplomatic team Ukraine's needs, expectations and plans for cooperation with the EU. The authorities have determined a set of steps that can speed up the process.
"We in Ukraine believe we can configure the process so that our accession follows a special fast track. Various integration processes and work on bringing our institutions closer need not be drawn out. We can take parallel steps in all integration directions," Zelensky said.
He said he expects the accelerated accession programme to be included in the government's action plan. "Prime Minister Koretsky and Deputy Prime Minister Chentsov are already working on it. All the details should be presented in August," he added.
Earlier on Tuesday, the president said he had defined three priorities for Kyiv's cooperation with the EU during a conversation with top officials.
Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Vsevolod Chentsov, for his part, expects the remaining negotiation clusters for Ukraine to be opened in the autumn. In his view, concluding the talks with the EU by the end of 2027 is an ambitious but realistic task.
