Commission briefs on Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia’s reform progress towards EU membership – EURACTIV.com
Ukraine and Moldova have made good reform progress and are expected to wrap them up in the next months, while bigger efforts are required from Georgia, an internal European Commission update is expected to say this week, indicating how fast the countries could progress on their path toward future EU membership.
The EU granted candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova a year ago, a highly symbolic step that reflects the bloc’s intention to send a positive political signal to a troubled region.
Georgia has been left waiting until it fulfils criteria laid down by Brussels that would lead to the same status as the other two.
Before they can progress to the next stage, the opening of accession negotiations, the European Commission has laid out a series of conditions for Kyiv and Chisinau to meet, including bolstering the rule of law and fighting corruption.
The EU executive’s interim update this week, which takes the form of an oral, not written, report, is meant to be a first indicator of which areas the three countries need to tighten up before the EU executive’s regular enlargement review in October.
It will be delivered by Enlargement Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi first to the EU’s 27 ambassadors in Brussels on Wednesday (21 June) and then to European affairs ministers in Stockholm on Thursday. Separately, the update will be communicated to the three respective countries.
“This oral update is a snapshot at a point-in-time-report of where they stand today in terms of implementation of these reforms that are required of them,” said an EU official, familiar with the file, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
“It is not the European Commission’s assessment that feeds into decision-making in the European Council as to potential next steps to the accession process,” the official added.
“The fact that countries might not have completed a step does not mean that they haven’t made significant progress. Anyone following these three countries closely knows that a lot of decisions have been taken, a lot of decisions of critical nature have even been voted in the first reading, but not all of these procedures have been completed yet.”
Progress on recommendations
Ukraine has so far fully implemented two out of seven recommendations to start membership negotiations related to judicial reform and media law, according to an internal speaking note on the report seen by EURACTIV.
Kyiv’s recommendations included enacting legislation on the selection process for Constitutional Court judges on a competitive basis, strengthening the fight against corruption, harmonising media regulation with EU standards, and protecting minority communities.
When it comes to the other five recommendations, important measures are still pending, the update is set to say, including “strengthening the country’s anti-money laundering system” and law enforcement reform.
In recent months, Ukraine has gone after several cases of high-profile corruption, including detaining the head of its Supreme Court over a suspected $2.7 million bribe.
Kyiv will also be encouraged to “take further systemic measures and build the track record in high-level corruption cases”, according to the note.
Beyond this, Ukraine is asked to implement the recommendations of the Venice Commission in the anti-oligarch and national minorities law and launch the Constitutional Court’s selection procedure.
Kyiv and supporters of Ukraine’s quest to start EU accession talks by the end of the year hope EU leaders could decide in December.
“Overall, the focus is on positives, we have to remember this is an informal interim update that is supposed to help Ukraine to tighten up its efforts in the right and necessary places,” a second EU official familiar with the file said.
Moldova, the second EU candidate country of the trio, has fully implemented three out of nine conditions related to democratic reforms, civil-society dialogue and protection of human rights, according to the internal note seen by EURACTIV.
While the country’s justice reforms are noted with “good progress”, Chişinău will be expected to focus on “confirmed efforts” to fight corruption, improve the quality of investigations and efficiency of prosecuting on de-oligarchisation and recommendations of the Venice Commission”.
Georgia, meanwhile, has fully implemented three out of twelve recommendations related to gender equality, taking into account judgements of the European Court of Justice as well as instalment of public defenders, the interim update is expected to say.
However, the EU-hopeful has been gripped by a political crisis in recent years, with concerns in the West over Georgia’s backsliding on commitments to democracy and its Euro-Atlantic orientation.
That is reflected in the speaking points asking for de-polarisation of the country, with the “need to end harsh rhetorics” and create “efficient oversight of the Parliament, constructive cross-party arrangements”.
Tbilisi will be asked to focus on political de-polarisation, judicial reforms, a more systemic rather than person-bound approach to de-oligarchisation and media freedom, according to the note.
Georgia has made “no progress” on media pluralism, the speaking points note, adding that there would be a particular need to ensure the safety of journalists and raise the level of protecting the journalism and media owners.
[Edited by Alice Taylor/Zoran Radosavljevic]
