🇺🇦 At a decisive moment for Ukraine's EU integration, GMF hosted a closed-door briefing with Dr.
@IgorZhovkva, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine. GMF's
@pennynaas and
@O_Prokopenko_IR opened and moderated the discussion. The briefing took place just hours after the opening of negotiating clusters 2 and 3 in Luxembourg and ahead of the
@EUCouncil meeting in Brussels.
Covering the single market and economic competitiveness, these clusters shape how Ukrainian businesses trade, invest and compete in Europe, and bring Ukraine to four of six clusters opened. The discussion focused on turning this momentum into irreversible progress for Ukraine's European future.
The exchange highlighted recent legislative momentum in the Verkhovna Rada, including key laws on the educational rights of national minorities, which unlocked the latest step, and legislation critical to Ukraine's international macro-financial support. These milestones pave the way for opening the remaining two clusters, on the green agenda and on agriculture, resources, and cohesion, by the end of 2026, putting every area of EU law on the negotiating table and allowing Ukraine to move into the decisive phase of closing chapters in 2027.
Participants also examined how Ukraine can leverage the European Commission's upcoming Enlargement Package and pre-enlargement policy reviews, while operationalizing Commissioner Kos's vision of gradual integration, an approach long argued for by the GMF Ukraine experts, to deliver tangible benefits ahead of full membership.
The briefing brought together key leaders from across the European policy landscape, including senior officials of the European External Action Service, the
@EU_Commission's DG ENEST and DG ECFIN, the
@Europarl_EN, the Mission of Ukraine to the EU, EU Member States' permanent representations, as well as senior representatives of the European People's Party headquarters, leading Brussels-based foreign policy organizations, think tanks, and international media outlets.