The European summit which opens this Thursday, December 14 in Brussels will have Ukraine as the main issue, alongside concerns for the common budget of the European Union. A budget of which some 50 billion euros over four years could be reserved for kyiv. The Europeans’ intention is to send a strong political signal of their long-term support for Ukraine, especially as support from the United States is faltering. And for the 27, the strongest signal is that of enlargement, but enlargement under conditions.
3 mins
from our correspondent in Brussels,
The European Commission announced in early March 2022 that it was launching the examination of Ukraine’s application to join the EU, an application granted the following June and hailed as a historic decision. But from the start, the Europeans set seven conditions to be able to transform the test, that is to say move to the next stage, the opening of accession negotiations. Seven conditions including the fight against corruption.
The opening of these accession negotiations, on the menu of the 27 in Brussels this Thursday, means that Ukraine has done at least partially what was necessary to meet EU conditions and fight corruption. In his report, a month ago, the Commission validated four of the seven criteria: the selection of judges of the Constitutional Court, the integrity of the candidates for the High Council of Justice, the legislation on money laundering and the independence of the media. There therefore remained concerns for the rights of minorities, but above all for the fight against corruption and the influence of oligarchs.
Also listenCorruption in Ukraine: “Before the war, there was a systemic problem”
Fundamental progress, because in the eyes of the European Union, Ukraine did not have a good image in terms of corruption. But the Europeans consider, so to speak, that bad luck is good because, according to them, the war will have had the effect of allowing Ukraine to launch a major clean-up at a speed unmatched by other candidate countries.
The dismissals and arrests at the top of themilitary device or judicial have been closely scrutinized by the 27 capitals and the European Commission speaks of excellent progress. This is all the more the case since last Friday and theadoption of four bills in kyiv including those relating to asset checks and declarations.
Also listenUkraine: the fight against corruption
Is this a guarantee for a green light this Thursday of the 27th for the opening of accession negotiations?
Unfortunately for Volodymyr Zelensky’s hopes, corruption remains an obstacle because it has been highlighted by the Hungarian Prime Minister. Viktor Orbán poses as the champion of the opposition to these negotiations. Last Friday, the same day as the vote in the Ukrainian Parliament, the Hungarian Prime Minister declared that the country was known as one of the most corrupt in the world and that the idea of enlargement was, according to him, ” a joke “. Some have not failed to note the irony of this position since Hungary is in difficulty with the European rules of the rule of law, but the fact remains that the country has, like the others, a right of veto over any decision. enlargement.