The European Commission has completed the draft frameworks for negotiations with Moldova and Ukraine and will submit them to the European Council. This announcement was made in a press release by the European Integration Bureau, reporting statements from the European Union’s executive body, the European Commission.
Simultaneously, the Commission will orally brief the Council on the progress made by both countries in implementing the recommendations outlined in the November 8, 2023, report on the EU’s Enlargement Package.
“The draft negotiating frameworks establish the guidelines and principles for accession negotiations with each candidate country. These drafts are divided into three parts: 1) principles governing accession negotiations, 2) negotiation content, and 3) negotiation procedures. The objective of these negotiations is for Moldova and Ukraine to adopt and enforce the EU acquis fully,” reads the press release.
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The Commission emphasizes that the proposed draft negotiating frameworks draw from previous enlargement experiences and ongoing accession negotiations with other states. They incorporate the revised methodology of the EU enlargement process and consider the evolving nature of the EU acquis.
Henceforth, the internal deliberations on these texts fall within the Council’s purview. Once the Council adopts the negotiating frameworks, the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union will present the common position of the 27 member states at the inaugural inter-governmental conference with each candidate country, officially commencing accession negotiations. The negotiating frameworks will be published following approval by the inter-governmental conference.
In December 2023, the European Council approved the commencement of accession negotiations with Moldova and Ukraine. Both states attained candidate country status on June 23, 2022.