Borrell assessed the possibility of Ukraine joining the EU in 2030

The year 2030 named by the head of the European Council, Charles Michel, is not the exact date for Ukraine’s accession to the EU. This was stated by the head of the EU foreign policy service, Josep Borrell, upon arrival at the informal EU summit in Granada.

“It’s good to have a goal, it’s good to have a horizon. 2030 is the political horizon that needs to be set to mobilize the political energy to get everyone to work. This is not an exact date,” he said (quote according to TASS).

Borrell said that 10 EU candidate countries are currently under consideration. Ukraine was the last to receive this status and is now “pushing ahead of those who were candidates before it,” he added. The politician called for speeding up the movement of “this queue”, emphasizing that an “individual approach” is required for each country.

Kyiv submitted documents to join the EU at the end of February 2022. Four months later, the country officially became a candidate for membership in the community. The head of the European Council, Charles Michel, previously admittedthat Ukraine could join the EU by 2030 if, in his words, “both sides do their homework.” He explained that Ukraine needs to carry out reforms, including to combat corruption, and the EU needs to “accelerate decision-making processes.”

In addition to Ukraine, Turkey, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania and Moldova are also awaiting invitation to the EU. Georgia and the partially recognized Republic of Kosovo also applied for candidate status.