Informal Meeting in Lviv: Senior Officials from 27 Countries Discuss New Opportunities for Ukraine’s EU Accession
«This is a very important day for Lviv and for Ukraine. Today our city once again becomes a venue for events of significance not only for Ukraine, but for the world. I would like to thank you for your support,» emphasized Andrii Sadovyi, Mayor of Lviv.
Yana Stepanenko, who lost both legs in 2022 because of a Russian missile strike on the Kramatorsk railway station, raised the European Union flag in front of Lviv City Counsil. The «Homin» choir performed the National Anthem of Ukraine and the Anthem of the European Union.
Representatives of 27 countries took part in the informal meeting: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden. Representatives of the European Commission, the European External Action Service, and the General Secretariat of the Council of the EU also joined the discussions.
Following the informal meeting of the EU Council in Lviv, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Taras Kachka stated that Ukraine welcomed the agreement reached by the European Union, which unblocks technical progress toward accession.
«I would like to congratulate everyone on finding a way to ensure that the enlargement process continues at the same pace, even though formally there is no unanimity for opening negotiation clusters. There is strong support from 26 member states that clearly advocate for opening the clusters. As a result, we successfully agreed on „frontloading“ as a technical but legally sound approach to ensure that the European Commission and Ukraine are informed of the member states’ positions on the modalities of the negotiations,» he said.
According to Taras Kachka, this technical process was launched in Lviv simultaneously for the first, second, and sixth clusters in Ukraine’s future accession talks with the EU.
EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos confirmed that Ukraine and the EU have now moved to a technical process that is not subject to a potential veto from Hungary.
«Today, EU member states provided a clear direction of work. There is a list of reforms, and no one can veto Ukraine’s implementation of these reforms,» she said.
At the same time, Danish Minister for European Affairs Marie Bjerre noted that this approach effectively bypasses the Hungarian veto for a certain period. However, the closure of negotiation chapters will still require the consent of all EU member states.
«Enlargement procedures require unanimity to open negotiation clusters. We were not able to lift this blockage, but we chose another approach. Even if there is a formal blockade, we can continue the technical work that needs to be done within the negotiations. Then, once the blockade is lifted, we will be able to open and close the negotiation clusters very quickly,» the Danish minister stated.
She added that Ukraine continues to move forward on its path toward EU membership.
«Ukraine is making progress toward the EU in times of significant challenges. We are here to underline this and to discuss how to move forward when one country is still formally blocking a negotiation cluster,» said Marie Bjerre.
«It is a great honor to be here today in Ukraine, in the beautiful city of Lviv, together with the Ukrainian people. We are holding an informal meeting here to express our comprehensive support for Ukraine. Croatia is one of the countries that understands the challenges Ukraine is facing today.
We sincerely hope that Croatia’s experience in restoring its entire territory and joining NATO and the EU will serve as inspiration and support for Ukraine. We see Ukraine’s future EU membership as a guarantee of stability and security. I would like to encourage you to continue the determined work you have been carrying out so far,» said Andreja Metelko-Zgombić, State Secretary for European Affairs of Croatia.
Participants of the meeting, led by EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, also signed Book of Honorary Guests in Lviv City Counsil.
«We sincerely thank you for hosting the informal meeting of EU ministers for European affairs and Ukraine during Denmark’s presidency of the EU in such a beautiful and elegant setting. It is an honor for us to be here, and we hope this meeting will have a positive impact on advancing Ukraine on its path toward the EU,» Marta Kos noted.
Prior to the meeting, delegates visited the Lviv Theatre of Opera and Ballet, where they listened to poetry by serviceman Artur Dron and music by Ukrainian composers — from Dmytro Bortnianskyi to Zoltan Almashi—performed by an orchestra.