Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine’s Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, has stated that Ukraine will not fully meet all seven EU criteria by October. However, accession negotiations will still begin.

“These criteria involve fundamental reforms, which will take years to implement. In October, we won’t hear that all seven requirements have been fulfilled by us 100%, as it’s a massive task that will take years”, - she stated.

Instead, she assures that by October, Ukraine will adopt “all agreed-upon legislative and institutional changes”: “Our task is to ensure that these new challenges do not become conditions for opening negotiations… Ukraine will fulfill the requirement to restore submission of asset declarations for public officials and local government representatives. The political decision to start negotiations on Ukraine’s EU membership will be made. December is the last opportunity for making a political decision to start negotiations”.