Swedish minister advocates for EU negotiations with Ukraine by March 2025

Swedish Minister for EU Affairs, Jessica Rosencrantz, has urged the European Union to initiate the first stage of negotiations for Ukraine's accession by March 2025.

Rosencrantz emphasized the importance of capitalizing on Ukraine’s accelerated reform process, stating that the EU must "use this momentum" and begin discussions on the first thematic block of negotiations, ideally by March, Caliber.Az reports citing Russian media.

Her comments came ahead of a scheduled meeting with key European figures, including EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, and Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister, Olga Stefanyshina. The discussion will focus on Ukraine's path to EU membership.

In 2022, Ukraine was granted candidate status for EU membership, and the formal accession process was set to begin in mid-2024. However, according to Politico, Ukraine has yet to commence the first block of negotiations due to a "year of inaction" by Ukrainian authorities amid ongoing EU demands for reforms.

During the EU summit in Brussels on December 14-15, 2023, European leaders agreed to start negotiations for Ukraine and Moldova's EU accession. Nevertheless, the European Commission is yet to determine the "appropriate moment" to officially launch the negotiations, prepare a framework for the process, and present it to the EU Council.

Rosencrantz’s remarks underline the urgency for the EU to take action and move forward with the integration process while Ukraine continues to make strides in its reform agenda.

By Vafa Guliyeva