Key messages by Katarina Maternova during the 2nd EU Accession Exchange Forum

We bring to your attention the key messages of Katarina Mathernova, Ambassador of the EU to Ukraine during the 2nd EU Accession Exchange Forum:

I am very much subscribed to the notion that if it wasn’t for the unfortunate and tragic escalation of the war and invasion on February, 24 last year we wouldn’t be discussing the issues of the Forum. For all the obvious reasons there was a lack of consensus on EU enlargement previously. It was only the war that created the approximate cause for that consensus. But one element which was extremely important in the positive assessment by the leaders to invite Moldova and Ukraine as candidate members was based on internal transformations in the countries. Thanks to the fact that we had very deep association and trade agreements that went through a plenty of domestic reforms with huge emphasis on governments, rule of law, anti-corruption, building of institution and regulatory regimes, we have received the basis to discuss all this.
To be able to get the victorious enlargement is the continuation and even speeding up of the reforms internally in Ukraine. The geopolitics will drive it (the process of EU accession) but this element (reforms) without which you won’t move to the geopolitics. The EU is such a complex that without a reformed country the system wouldn’t be understood. It is important to do internal reforms step by step.
Though the war is a tragedy it creates a possibility of consensus and pushing through the processes and reforms that are in peace times are hard to find consensus about. Many public opinions show one thing that has changed during the war: it is society’s expectations. It’s the expectations of the public that we want a new Ukraine. That creates an environment for major transformation steps. The resilience of Ukraine is remarkable: it is making fundamental changes and fighting in the war at the same time.
Now it is really more recognized that Ukraine is fighting our war. It’s not only Ukraine that got aggressed, it’s the international order that got aggressed.

Video recording of the Forum is available here.

The EU Accession Exchange Forum is organized by the New Europe Center in partnership with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister of European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, the International Renaissance Foundation, the Institute for European Policies and Reforms, the Soros Foundation in Georgia and the Center for Liberal Modernity, Germany. European Pravda became Forum media partner. The Accession Exchange Forum is taking place with EU support, within the EU-funded “European Renaissance of Ukraine” project implemented by the International Renaissance Foundation.