President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has reaffirmed that the procedure for Ukraine as an EU member candidate country is clear – the European Commission will present two reports before a decision on the start of talks on Ukraine’s EU membership is made.
She said this at a press conference in Brussels on Monday, while answering a question about a possibility of starting EU membership talks in June.
“There is a very clear roadmap – in June we will have the oral presentation of this in-between report, let’s call it this way. The important report is written, one that is due in October. And I think the Council in December typically deals with this wide report, not only on Ukraine but also on other potential candidates. This is the very rigid and formal way of procedure but how we move forward within these three steps depends a lot on the progress of the country,” she said.
The president of the European Commission also said that the issue was discussed in depth during her visit to Ukraine on May 9.
“Lots of progress has been made but still work has to be done… It depends on the candidate country how fast they proceed and how good the quality is,” she said.
President of the European Council Charles Michel, for his part, praised the progress made by Ukraine.
“The report that will be put on the table by the Commission in October will be an important document. Then I will put the topic on agenda [European Council] by the end of the year and the member states will have to decide, taking into account the progress made and taking into account the report proposed by the Commission,” he said.