Eduardo González
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, described yesterday as a “historic day for Europe” the decision of the European Council to begin negotiations for the accession of Ukraine and Moldova to the EU.
The leaders of the European Union yesterday approved the start of accession negotiations after overcoming the blockade of Hungary, whose Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, warned upon his arrival in Brussels that he would oppose the entry of Ukraine and military support measures. and financial to this country.
“Today is a historic day for Europe,” declared Sánchez through his official account on the social network X. “We also welcome the recognition of Georgia’s candidate status and the progress of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” he added. “The 27 of us recognize the effort that all of them are making,” he concluded.
Orban left the room just at the moment when the 26 remaining leaders agreed to start negotiations, which made it possible to avoid his veto of the decision. In a message through X, the Hungarian Prime Minister stated that the start of negotiations with Ukraine is a “bad decision” and that Hungary “has not participated in the decision.”
For his part, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, confirmed the ‘green light’ for the accession talks of Ukraine and Moldova and the granting of candidate status to Georgia and stated that it is “a historic moment that shows the credibility of the EU. “We have worked hard to prepare this Council and it was important that no Member State opposed the decision, and that is why we were able to make this announcement tonight,” he declared through the same social network.
The European Council decided to start accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova by invoking the Granada Declaration, according to which “enlargement is a geostrategic investment in peace, security, stability and prosperity” and is “a driver for improving economic and of European citizens, reduce disparities between countries and must promote the values on which the Union is based.
Likewise, it decided to grant candidate country status to Georgia and begin accession negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina and was “ready” to complete the opening phase of accession negotiations with North Macedonia. Faced with the prospect of an even more enlarged Union, “both future Member States and the EU must be prepared at the time of accession,” warned the Council, which committed to addressing internal reforms at its next meetings with a view to adopting, by summer 2024, its conclusions on a roadmap for future work.
Before the Council, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, addressed European leaders by videoconference, to whom he reminded that his country “received clear recommendations last year on how to move forward” towards the EU. “We have passed the key laws. All of you – and I emphasize: all – know well that we have fulfilled all our obligations. And there was a clear timetable for the EU: today is the day for a political decision in response to what we have achieved. “It is about opening accession negotiations with Ukraine,” he added.
