In a letter dated Wednesday 5 June to the Belgian Presidency of the EU Council, twelve EU Member States called for “the adoption of the negotiating frameworks for Ukraine and Moldova by the General Affairs Council in June at the latest, with a view to convening intergovernmental conferences with both countries by the end of June 2024”.
In this letter seen by Agence Europe, the ministers of the Czech Republic, Sweden, Estonia, Finland, Portugal, Latvia, Poland, Lithuania, Germany, Slovenia, Romania and Slovakia consider that, in the light of the results achieved and the reform efforts underway in both countries, “the time has come to move forward”.
They point out that the Council was invited by the European Council in March 2024 to adopt the negotiating frameworks “swiftly” and to move the work forward without delay.
By agreeing to these negotiating frameworks and convening the intergovernmental conferences, “we will be de facto and de jure opening negotiations” with the two countries, the ministers added.
In their view, opening negotiations will provide additional motivation for Ukraine and Moldova, at a time when the former is experiencing a “dire situation on the ground” and the latter is due to hold elections and an EU referendum. “This would boost morale and further the work on reforms”, they explain.
The negotiating frameworks will again be discussed by the Member States’ ambassadors to the EU on Friday 7 June (see EUROPE 13419/1). (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)