The European Commission may launch the first phase of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU on June 16

The European Commission plans to propose on June 16 the opening of the first round of accession negotiations for Ukraine and Moldova to join the European Union.

This was reported by Euractiv.

According to the publication, the initiative is to be considered by European affairs ministers at a meeting of the EU General Affairs Council in Brussels. If the proposal is supported, a final decision could be adopted by EU leaders at a European Council meeting in just two days.

As noted, the EU views Ukraine’s progress in implementing the reforms necessary to advance toward membership positively. At the same time, the discussion currently centers only on opening the first negotiation cluster, not several simultaneously.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz proposed introducing a new “associated membership” format for Ukraine in the EU until it obtains full membership status. 

The head of Italy’s Foreign Ministry officially confirmed that his country fully supports granting Ukraine full membership in the European Union.