“Ukraine fulfills all EU recommendations for membership talks by year-end, says Prime Minister Shmigal”

Ukraine plans to fulfill all the conditions necessary to start negotiations on joining the European Union by the end of this year, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said today, DPA reported.

“Ukraine has fulfilled all seven recommendations of the European Commission that we received when we acquired the status of a candidate for membership,” the Ukrainian Prime Minister said at a press conference in Rome.

Shmygal participated in a conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine hosted by Italy. Today he met with Pope Francis in the Vatican.

Kiev will carry out all the reforms needed to join the EU, despite the Russian invasion of the country, he said. Shmygal pointed out that the anti-corruption measures that Kiev has already introduced “are fully implemented, as Ukraine has agreed with its European partners.”

Currently, 27,000 legal acts are being aligned with EU standards. The Ukrainian Prime Minister also said that he hopes that the European Commission will soon publish an interim report on the implementation of the seven recommendations and that this report will “open the door” for Kyiv to start concrete accession negotiations, BTA reported.

Earlier today, the Ukrainian Prime Minister was received by Pope Francis in the Vatican for a half-hour private audience. Shmigal asked the pontiff to work for the return home of a number of children, some of them orphans, who had been deported from Ukraine to Russia.

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