Chair of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Ukraine’s Integration into the EU Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze took part in an interparliamentary meeting of the European Parliament’s Committee on Constitutional Affairs, dedicated to the reform of the European Union in the context of its future enlargement.

Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze stressed that despite the war, Ukraine continues implementing reforms to stay on its European path. “Ukraine’s path is based on tremendous sacrifices, deep-rooted values, and true commitment. That is why we believe this is not only about the readiness and willingness of candidate countries. It is also about the European Union itself being prepared to enlarge. The question is not whether it will happen, but how, and whether the EU is ready for enlargement,” said the Chair of the Committee on Ukraine’s Integration into the EU.

She emphasized that Ukraine is pursuing systemic reforms to transform both the state and society. “We understand that much work remains across various sectors, and that the road ahead is quite long. Still, I believe we have made significant progress,” Klympush-Tsintsadze said. According to her, for candidate countries where there is political will and where technical and legislative approximation to EU standards is ongoing, it is essential that the EU does not respond with structural indecisiveness. “That is why we believe that EU reforms and enlargement must go hand in hand — not as parallel processes, but as one unified and coherent process. Such an approach would demonstrate the EU’s genuine commitment to enlargement and to building a more resilient, democratic, and capable Union,” the Chair underlined.

Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze insisted that the political or domestic agenda of a single EU Member State should not outweigh the dialogue between candidate countries and the European Union. “Let me be frank: we are deeply disappointed that Ukraine’s readiness to begin negotiations under the first cluster, ‘Fundamentals’, is currently being blocked for entirely artificial reasons by a single country — Hungary. We hope this issue will be resolved, and that the EU’s decision-making mechanisms will also be reformed,” she said. Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze also expressed hope that the EU would identify appropriate financial instruments to ensure its preparedness for enlargement. “So that together, we can guarantee that we are moving toward a more transparent, capable, economically and geopolitically strong European Union — one that is enlarged, resilient, and ready to face the challenges of the future,” she concluded.