The European Parliament has today adopted a resolution at its plenary session in Brussels, detailing its expectations for the upcoming summit between EU and Ukrainian political leaders in Kyiv on Friday, 3 February. The non-legislative text was adopted with 489 votes in favour, 36 against, and 49 abstentions. The resolution is about Ukraine’s prospects of joining the EU, and calls on the EU to “work towards the start of the accession negotiations and to support a roadmap outlining the next steps to enable Ukraine’s accession to the EU single market”. Restating their commitment to Ukraine’s future EU membership following the country’s formal application on 28 February 2022, MEPs – according to a statement from Brussels – stress that “accession is a merit-based process involving respect for relevant procedures, and the fulfilment of EU related reforms and accession criteria”. Furthermore, MEPs call on the Ukrainian authorities to introduce substantial reforms to effectively align with EU membership criteria as soon as possible.
Parliament invites Member States “to increase and accelerate their military assistance to Kyiv, in particular the provision of weapons, but also essential political, economic, infrastructural, financial and humanitarian support”. Moreover, the text calls on leaders at the forthcoming EU-Ukraine summit “to prioritise a comprehensive recovery package for Ukraine” focused on “relief, reconstruction and recovery in the short-, medium- and long-term”.