EU launches joint task force with Ukraine joining... “Speed up the sign-up process”

Meet twice a week to check implementation tasks... Improved relations with Hungary support progress

(Brussels = Yonhap News) Correspondent Hyun Yun-kyung = A joint task force (TF) has been launched to quickly promote Ukraine's accession to the European Union (EU).

The European Commission announced on the 16th (local time) that a task force has been formed to speed up Ukraine's accession process, and officials from both sides will begin activities. The task force plans to hold meetings twice a week to review the tasks that Ukraine must fulfill to join the EU and support the completion of the implementation.

In particular, Euronews reported that Ukraine will look into requirements that Ukraine has not yet met and support their implementation, focusing on the standards for rule of law and anti-corruption reform, which are fundamental requirements for EU membership.

“Ukraine is one of the countries making the greatest progress towards EU accession,” said Marta Kos, the EU enlargement commissioner. “After two additional areas of negotiation (for EU accession) were opened this week, we discussed the next steps with Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky and agreed to launch a joint task force.”

Candidate countries for EU membership must consult with the EU on 35 negotiation chapters divided into six thematic areas (clusters), including rule of law, security, environment, and agriculture. As the 27 EU member states agreed to open two additional areas of negotiation earlier this week, Ukraine will now be negotiating EU membership in four areas. Negotiations for the remaining two areas are also expected to begin within the year.

This progress in Ukraine's EU accession negotiations was supported by the improvement in relations with Hungary, which had been at odds. Recently, Ukraine's parliament overwhelmingly passed an education law for the Hungarian minority living in the country's west, and the Hungarian government withdrew its veto that had blocked further accession negotiations for Ukraine.

Meanwhile, right after being invaded by Russia in February 2022, Ukraine applied for EU membership alongside neighboring Moldova and obtained candidate country status in June of that year. However, actual negotiations began only after former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who was pro-Russian and anti-EU, was voted out of office in the Hungarian general election last April.

Since Prime Minister Mazar Peter, a conservative leader with an EU-friendly tendency, took office in May, Ukraine and Hungary have been attempting to restore relations between the two countries, which deteriorated during Orbán's administration.

On the 16th, when the EU summit was held, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Prime Minister Mazur, who were invited to the meeting, met for the first time in Brussels, Belgium, and discussed ways to improve relations between the two countries and economic cooperation.