Only Member States can decide whether to separate negotiation process on Ukraine and Moldova's accession to EU – European Commission
The European Commission is avoiding answering the question of what exactly its position is regarding the possible separation of the negotiation process on Ukraine and Moldova's accession to the European Union, and is indicating that this issue falls within the competence of the European Union member states.
Thus, on Wednesday in Brussels during a briefing, the European Commission Spokesperson Guillaume Mercier commented on the reaction of Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Olha Stefanishyna, who called the statement of European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos regarding the possibility of separating Moldova and Ukraine in the negotiation process on membership in the European Union "unconstructive."
Asked whether the European Commission was indeed planning to separate the accession talks between Ukraine and Moldova, Mercier said when it comes to separating Ukraine and Moldova on the path to accession, the progress of this process in the Council depends solely on the Member States. The European Commission remains fully committed to providing the necessary technical, financial and political support to both Moldova and Ukraine to really continue their reforms, he said. Mercier added the European Commission would be fully involved in the preparations for the Cluster 1 negotiations, and recalled the already known position of the European Commission, which is that negotiations on Cluster 1 for both Ukraine and Moldova could be opened as soon as all the criteria are met. However, the final decision on the opening of this Cluster 1 remains with the Member States, Mercier said.
In addition, the spokesperson reiterated that, according to the European Commission's assessment of EU accession, both Ukraine and Moldova have made steady progress in reforms. The European Commission's screening process with Ukraine and Moldova is progressing very quickly. This technical work is ongoing. But ultimately, the final decision must be made by the member states, he said.
According to Mercier, if the member states wish to do so, they will put the issue up for discussion for further decision-making.