President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal signed a joint statement declaring the unity and determination of the authorities to achieve Ukraine's membership in the European Union as soon as possible. They signed such a statement during a meeting of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukrainian News Agency reports.
"Today we are signing a joint statement, which is a signal of the unity of all branches of government and evidence of our determination to achieve the strategic goal of Ukraine, namely full membership in the European Union. And the signing of this statement should mean the same as signing the application for membership on the fifth day of war. We walked towards the candidacy for 115 days. And our path to membership should not take years, decades. We must overcome this path quickly," Zelenskyy said.
He noted that many decisions will depend on the Verkhovna Rada and on how members of the government will work in coordination with MPs and diplomats.
Zelenskyy said that the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union has already been implemented by 63%, and another 37% remain tasks for the entire state.
He added that dozens of important bills are to be adopted, which will not be easy, since a number of decisions are unpopular, but there is no alternative to this.
Zelenskyy noted that the acquisition of EU membership provides specific benefits - Ukraine has already received transport visa-free travel, air visa-free travel, open access to the European market without duties and quotas, and joined the European energy network.
Next in line are customs and digital visa-free travel, in the future - industrial visa-free travel and an agreement to abolish roaming fees between Ukraine and the EU countries on a permanent basis.
As Ukrainian News Agency reported, on June 23, Ukraine officially received the status of a candidate for EU membership and now must fulfill a number of requirements to start negotiations on membership.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that Ukraine should appoint the head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office and the director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau as soon as possible.
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