The meeting of the Committee on the Integration of Ukraine into the EU on
7 March 2023 was devoted to the report of ministries and agencies on the
progress in the implementation of the Association Agreement between
Ukraine and the European Union. The Deputy Prime Minister for European and
Euro-Atlantic Integration Olga Stefanishyna and representatives of the
ministries informed Committee members about the measures taken to
approximate the legislation of Ukraine to the law of the European Union.
The approximation is provided by the Association Agreement and is also
mandatory for Ukraine's progress on the way to EU membership. ‘It is not
only about the Agreement, but also about the readiness of Ukraine in
various areas for membership in the European Union,’ said the Chair of the
Committee, Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze. In fall this year, the European
Commission will assess Ukraine's readiness to start negotiations on
joining the EU.
The Chair of the Committee noted that the Committee on Ukraine’s
integration into the EU received reports on the implementation of the
Agreement as of 2022 from the central executive authorities. ‘We will look
at these processes a little more broadly, and not strictly as the
implementation of the Agreement, because we also have to fulfil seven
recommendations of the European Commission, which are crucial for a
positive assessment and a chance to open negotiations already this year. I
have repeatedly said that I consider this task ambitious, but absolutely
realistic. Therefore, I understand that everything will depend on the
broad cooperation between the Government and the Parliament,’ said Ivanna
Klympush-Tsintsadze.
The Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olga
Stefanishyna informed that after 23 June 2022, when Ukraine received the
status of a candidate for joining the European Union, the next step of the
Government was to ensure the implementation of seven political
recommendations. ‘At the same time, with the ambitious goal of opening the
negotiation process at the end of this year, we worked on the
implementation of the Association Agreement to the possible extend,’ the
Deputy Prime Minister said.
Since the beginning of this year, according to her, Ukraine has already
evaluated the implemented steps with the European Commission, and
additional recommendations were prepared, in particular concerning the
Parliament: ‘We are talking about introducing changes to the law on
advertising. The European Commission has already provided an opinion on
this law. The Government will also introduce several draft laws related to
combating money laundering and terrorist financing. In addition, the
legislation on excessive influence of individuals, known as the
anti-oligarchic law, will require specific changes’.
Olga Stefanishyna noted that the Government completed several important
blocks, such as establishing an anti-corruption infrastructure. The
European Commission also positively assessed the indicators of the
activity of the law enforcement and judicial bodies in the area of
anti-corruption. It refers to the SAP and other components of the law
enforcement sector. ‘We have also formed a competent High Council of
Justice. All these institutions became capable as a result of
comprehensive inspection and tender procedures with the participation of
international experts. The Government appointed the Head of the National
Anti-Corruption Bureau, and it approved the state anti-corruption program,
which will be the main subject of the EU assessment,’ said the Deputy
Prime Minister.
During the Ukraine-EU summit, an analytical report on the conformity of
Ukrainian legislation with EU law was presented. Olha Stefanishyna noted
that it was about assessing the compliance of all legislation with the law
of the European Union, and not only those acts stipulated by the
Association Agreement. ‘The indicators were a little surprising. Despite
the large number of laws adopted, for example, in the field of the
environment, this field is at the lowest level from the point of view of
readiness to open negotiations. I want to emphasise that we are talking
about an assessment of Ukraine's readiness to become part of the European
Union. It is not an assessment of the implementation of the Association
Agreement,’ she said.
Currently, according to the Deputy Prime Minister, the Government has
started a self-assessment, which will be carried out together with
European colleagues: ‘To do this, Ukraine was provided with the entire
list of 29.000 acts of the EU law, which should become part of the
national legislation before Ukraine joins the EU. The analysis, which we
plan to complete by the end of May, will have two main results. Firstly,
in October 2023 an updated report on Ukraine is to be issued, where the
indicators are expected to be significantly improved. The second part of
the assessment will include a list of tasks that we need to complete in
order to implement the remaining EU legal acts. It will form the basis of
future negotiations and negotiating positions of Ukraine and the European
Union regarding the EU Accession Agreement.’ According to Olga
Stefanishyna, Ukraine expects that self-assessment will be completed
quickly enough, and this will allow the EU to make a political decision at
the end of the year on the opening of negotiations. ‘We expect that the
spring interim evaluation of the European Commission will determine a
specific list of measures that are required for a positive report on the
full implementation of the seven recommendations in October,’ the Deputy
Prime Minister said.
The Chair of the Committee on Ukraine’s Integration into the EU, Ivanna
Klympush-Tsintsadze, noted that this assessment is extremely important,
because it will allow Ukraine to finalise the points that need additional
attention: ‘Till the end of the summer, we have time to fulfil seven
conditions to the possible extend to be able to count on a positive
assessment in October 2023.’
At the same time, Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze noted that, moving towards
the procedure of simplified adoption of European integration draft laws,
it is necessary to ensure that any draft law developed by the Cabinet of
Ministers does not contradict EU law. ‘We see such a practice that
sometimes government’s draft laws do not fully take into account the EU
law, and sometimes they are distorted beyond recognition before the second
reading. In such cases our Committee is the last point to stop the
violation of the EU law. Therefore, I think that there is something to
work on here,’ said Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze.
She also assured that both the members of the Committee on Ukraine’s
Integration into the EU and a much wider circle of deputies are ready to
join the promotion of the opening of negotiations with the European Union:
"We would very much like to achieve the result for which we will not be
ashamed. We have already started this work. At all our meetings with
politicians from EU member states, we talk about the need to adjust
actions in a way that by the end of the year, Ukraine would be able to
count on the opening of membership negotiations.’