«A historic day for Ukraine. All 27 member states of the European Union supported the granting of candidate status to our state for EU membership. Ukrainians with their heroism and devotion to democratic values unequivocally deserve to be among the great European family», — Denis Schmigal emphasized.
Prime Minister noted that receiving the status of the candidate shows the success of implementation of reforms and significant progress in approximation to European standards. According to him, Ukraine has already started integration into the EU internal market, signed the aviation and energy «visa-free» and is close to the conclusion of the customs, industrial and digital.
«Candidate status is an important signal to all Ukrainians that our common future is the European Union, and the EU accession process will be an integral part of our country’s recovery path. In addition, it gives Ukraine better access to EU programs and funds, as well as attracting new investments, because businesses will now consider Ukraine as a potential member of the European Union and a promising platform for start-ups», — said the head of the Government.
Denis Schmigal stressed that further accession of our country to the EU would bring benefits to all parties. Ukraine, in his opinion, can provide European food security, contribute to acceleration of «green» transition and reduction of energy dependence on Russia, make a significant contribution to economic development and digitalization of Europe.
The Prime Minister thanked the European Council for the positive decision: «We count on support of our partners from the EU in achieving high criteria of membership and reconstruction of the country.
