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work on several reforms, which is indicated in the recommendations from the EC. "We will have a European Council in mid-December. And if the Council makes a political decision to say yes, we will adopt the Commission's recommendation and open accession negotiations.
The EC believes Ukraine can complete the rest of the reforms by March 2024, and Zelenskyy orders the preparation for negotiations. Completing the necessary reforms will allow the framework of future negotiations on EU membership to be approved, said EC officials. These are reforms related to the fight against corruption, limiting the influence of oligarchs on legislative institutions, and protecting national minorities. Meanwhile, on November 8, President Zelenskyy signed a decree on the preparation for the accession negotiation process. The head of state also added that a decision from the European Council on the negotiations is expected in December. "I hope that the European Commission will start implementing its part of the joint work as soon as possible - the assessment of the compliance of Ukrainian legislation with EU law," Zelenskyy added. Preparation for the negotiations requires the government to submit to the Ukrainian Parliament a draft law approving the new National Program for the Adaptation of Ukrainian Legislation to EU Law, considering the results of the EU's official assessment.
The European Commission reports on Ukraine’s progress in its reforms.The EC's report on Ukraine's progress notes that Ukraine "made some progress" in the fight against corruption and "intensified reforms in this area” after receiving candidate status for EU membership. At the same time, to ensure the effectiveness and sustainability of efforts, Ukraine must continue to build a solid track record of investigations, prosecutions, and final judgments in high-level corruption cases, including the seizure and confiscation of criminally obtained assets. The EC also noted that Ukraine should continue reforming the legislative framework to implement the recommendations from the OSCE Bureau for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. Decentralization must also be completed, and local self-government in the liberated and frontline territories must be gradually restored where the security situation allows. The EC praised the reform in the selection of judges but pointed to the need to improve the legislative framework and introduce a more transparent procedure for selecting senior-level prosecutors.
The European Union and United States are not attempting to compel Ukraine to enter ceasefire talks with Russia, an unnamed high-ranking European diplomat told Ukrainian news agency Interfax-Ukraine on November 6. The diplomat, who spoke to journalists in Brussels on condition of anonymity, stated, "If this were true, I would know." Previously, NBC News reported that officials in the U.S. and Europe had begun privately discussing with the Ukrainian government the possibility of peace talks with Russia. On Oct. 21, Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) secretary, Oleksiy Danilov, once again stated that there will be no negotiations with Russia as long as it continues the occupation of Ukrainian territories.
Zelenskiy’s position on negotiations with Russia right now: “I’m not ready to speak to the terrorists because their word is nothing.” Later the Ukrainian president said: “We are not ready to give our freedom to this fucking terrorist, Putin... That’s why we are fighting.”
Balázs Orbán, Political Director of the Prime Minister of Hungary, said that Budapest will block the start of negotiations with Ukraine on joining
21 UKRAINE Country Report December 2023 www.intellinews.com