Belgium aims for EU membership talks with Ukraine by end of June

Photo: Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib (Getty Images)

Belgium seeks to hold an intergovernmental meeting with Ukraine and Moldova to start negotiations on EU membership by the end of June, according to Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hadja Lahbib.

“We have just discussed with Moldova that we intend to organize such an intergovernmental conference (on EU membership) during our presidency until the end of June. For Moldova and Ukraine as well,” she said.

Ukraine's membership in the EU

In the summer of 2022, the European Council granted Ukraine candidate status at a summit in Brussels. At the same time, Kyiv was instructed to carry out a number of important reforms related to the rule of law, the fight against oligarchs, and corruption.

In 2023, the European Commission recommended to the EU Council to unblock the process of negotiations on the European integration of Ukraine and Moldova. As previously stated by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Kyiv expects to start negotiations on EU membership by July.