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front of neighboring countries for the first time. According to Taras Kachka, Trade Representative of Ukraine, Poland's latest statements mean that Ukraine's opening negotiations with the EU regarding agriculture have already started. It should be noted that the President of the European Commission confirmed her support for Ukraine's accession to the EU but emphasized that everything depends on the speed of reforms. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell believes Ukraine's path to the EU will not be easy.
Duda: Grain dispute will not disrupt good relations between Poland, Ukraine. The disagreement over grain exports should not upend Polish-Ukrainian relations, Polish President Andrzej Duda said on Sept. 22.
Negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU will begin in December, but some benefits can be obtained before membership. As the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, said, the EU should prepare for the accession of Ukraine as a member state. "I expect a concrete result because the worst signal could be that we have set these people goals and deadlines that we cannot meet ourselves," she said. Metzola also said that candidate countries do not have to wait for official acceptance to access certain processes, such as free mobile roaming in the EU. She noted that mobile operators are already prepared for this. Trade barriers for business may also be removed. "The pre-accession period also means access to funds, access to universities, and the ability to enter the domestic market, regardless of whether we apply import or export tariffs. For years, we have said that Ukraine cannot be connected to the European electricity grid. It took us days to do that when the war started. In the end, it was always about political will," Metzola said.
Ukraine has fully implemented the EC's seven recommendations. The government has adopted the target program, Unity in Diversity, to realize the rights and opportunities of national minorities and indigenous peoples, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal said. He emphasized that the corresponding decision was the seventh implemented recommendation from the EC. He also spoke about the start of the reform of the Constitutional Court and the reboot of the High Council of Justice and the High Qualification Commission of Judges. The government has also developed a legal framework for combating money laundering within FATF standards. In addition, the recommendations of the Venice Commission on implementing an anti-oligarch law have been implemented, and the legislation on media and advertising have come into effect. Also, the necessary by-laws have been developed to allow the implementation of the new law on national minorities.
Turkey to ratify Sweden's NATO bid if US approves F-16 sales to Ankara. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the Turkish parliament would ratify Sweden's accession to NATO if the U.S. approves the sale of its F-16 fighter jets to Ankara, Reuters reported on Sept. 26.
NATO is not discussing Ukraine's membership in exchange for territory, and they want to approve the Ukraine-NATO Council Work Plan by the end of the year. The head of Ukraine's mission to NATO, Natalya Halibarenko, claims that there are no discussions at NATO headquarters - neither official nor unofficial - regarding the granting of NATO membership to Ukraine in exchange for surrendering the temporarily occupied territories to the Russian Federation. Halibarenko clarified that the conditions for granting Kyiv membership in NATO are the political consensus of all member countries, compliance with
17 UKRAINE Country Report October 2023 www.intellinews.com