Rada Speaker hopes European Council to decide on launching accession talks with Ukraine this December

The Rada Speaker said this in a comment to Ukrinform.

"I believe when making such a decision (on the start of negotiations regarding Ukraine's accession to the European Union - ed.) they need to understand that they are EU member states, that the EU is about principles and values. The demands put forward to Ukraine are referred to around the world as Copenhagen criteria. By the decision of the European Commission, Ukraine meets the Copenhagen criteria. I really hope that such a decision will be adopted by the European Council," Stefanchuk said.

He emphasized that Ukraine has demonstrated "crazy progress" in fulfilling European integration requirements. In this context, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada said he had analyzed all previous accession waves. In his opinion, Ukraine is currently showing some of the best indicators in the EU history.

Stefanchuk emphasized that Ukraine performs the most difficult tasks with great dignity. He called one of the most important tasks the need to "take the chevron of a corrupt country off Ukraine."

"We have a number of challenges facing us, related not only to the Copenhagen criteria, but also to other issues – restoring Ukraine’s reputation, forming the reputation of a reliable partner in relations, obtaining and maintaining a high level of trust in Ukraine. I am convinced that Ukraine is fulfilling these tasks with dignity," added the Speaker.

At the same time, he noted the importance of the bilateral movement toward the unification between Ukraine and the European Union. Stefanchuk expressed his belief that the EU should set requirements for its member states so that Ukraine is assessed exclusively within the framework of the implementation of the seven recommendations. "And I think that this assessment is really excellent," he concluded.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, on November 8, the European Commission recommended that the European Council open negotiations on Ukraine and Moldova’s accession to the EU. She also recommended, under certain conditions, that such negotiations are launched with Bosnia and Herzegovina and the status of a candidate country be granted to Georgia.

On December 14, the European Council is expected to consider the issue of launching negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU.