Katarina Maternova called 2030 a realistic target date for Ukraine's accession to the EU
Katarina Maternová, the European Union’s Ambassador to Ukraine, considers the prospects for our country to achieve full EU membership by 2030 to be entirely realistic and viable.
The diplomat emphasized that the Ukrainian government has already demonstrated a high level of readiness to begin technical negotiations.
The EU representative gave a positive assessment of the Ukrainian side’s current level of preparedness for the integration process. According to her, the launch of official negotiation tracks marks an important new phase in bilateral relations.
At the same time, the pace of progress and the final completion of the integration process will depend on the scope of legislative activity.
Katarina Maternová clearly outlined the timeframe and conditions for the negotiation process: “2030 is a very realistic deadline. Of course, the negotiation clusters will require many changes, but right now we’re talking about their launch—that is, about official technical negotiations in specific areas. Ukraine is ready for this.”
She also expressed hope that the processes would gain momentum in the coming months.
“As for the opening of the clusters, it would be wonderful if this could happen as early as this summer. There will be sufficient political will for this,” the diplomat noted.
The diplomatic representative also clarified that the launch of the thematic clusters itself involves long-term and painstaking work to harmonize the regulatory framework.
The EU ambassador explained in detail the underlying logic and steps of the integration process: “The whole idea behind opening the clusters is that there will be many more rounds of coordination that must take place afterward, and there will be many more requirements that we have outlined in our position paper.”
Currently, the European Commission has established interim benchmarks that the Ukrainian authorities must gradually implement.
According to the European official, the current level of alignment of Ukrainian legislation is entirely sufficient to launch a full-fledged round of negotiations.
The current stage does not mean an automatic conclusion to the discussions, but is merely the beginning of a profound legal transformation.
“But, as the European Commission stated over a year ago, Kyiv had to meet the requirements specifically for opening the clusters. We are not yet talking about the conclusion of discussions. Therefore, the current alignment with EU legislation is now entirely sufficient to begin actual accession negotiations. That is what the opening of a cluster means,” she added.
During the conversation, particular attention was paid to the first thematic block, titled “Fundamentals,” which serves as the basis for assessing the country’s readiness. This block covers key areas of public life and includes strict requirements regarding the protection of democratic standards.
In particular, this involves effectively combating corruption and ensuring the full independence of the judiciary.
Maternova discussed this in detail in an interview with the Ukrinform news agency.
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