France, Poland and Spain urge EU to keep Ukraine's farm sector out of accession delays
France, Poland and Spain said on Oct. 13 they support moving Ukraine’s EU accession forward and reject using its large agricultural sector as a reason to stall talks.
At a meeting of European affairs ministers in Luxembourg, France, Poland and Spain all voiced support for accelerating Ukraine’s EU membership bid, rejecting the idea that its sizable agricultural sector should impede negotiations. Polish minister Ignacy Niemczycki noted that some member states have doubts but did not name them, while French minister Benjamin Haddad praised Ukraine’s recent minorities legislation that persuaded Hungary to drop its veto.
Spanish minister Fernando Sampedro expressed hope that all negotiation clusters for Ukraine and Moldova will be opened promptly. The statements came as Ukraine prepares to unlock two more reform clusters covering economic measures, having already opened those on rule of law and external relations. Finnish minister Joakim Strand also dismissed fears about Ukrainian agriculture, framing Ukraine’s EU entry as a strategic asset.
Why it matters
The stance of major EU members could shape the pace of Ukraine’s integration and affect European agricultural markets.
How this story developed
- Oct 12 Hungarian foreign minister urges Ukraine to honor Hungarian-language school commitments
- Oct 12 Ukraine's parliament adopted the minority education bill.
In this story
Related stories
6 in this thread