Ukraine's government still hopes to open first EU accession cluster by July
Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, believes that Ukraine will be able to open at least one negotiating cluster before the end of Poland's presidency of the EU Council.
Source: European Pravda, citing Stefanishyna in an interview aired on the national 24/7 joint newscast on Thursday 1 May
Details: During a visit to Budapest, Stefanishyna referred to the publicly confirmed agreement with the European Commission that "all negotiating clusters will be opened this year".
"A great deal of work has been done by the European Commission and the Polish presidency. Unfortunately, the process has not yet been unblocked. But the Ukrainian delegation is working here [in Budapest]," she said.
Stefanishyna said she is confident that the Polish presidency may still conclude with at least some of the negotiating chapters opened.
Poland's six-month presidency of the EU Council ends in June 2025.
Background:
Ukraine and the EU Commission initially had ambitious plans for the pace of accession talks in 2025, but the process has been hindered by Hungary's veto. Recently, there have been indications that Moldova and Ukraine could be separated on their path to EU membership.
Following talks in Budapest on 29 April, Ukraine and Hungary agreed to hold regular consultations to address bilateral issues.
Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Serbian farmers vow to oppose Rio Tinto lithium project even after EU labels it strategic
GORNJE NEDELJICE, Serbia (Reuters) -Zlatko Kokanovic, a farmer from Serbia's Jadar region, is determined to stop development of a Rio Tinto lithium project, identified this week as strategic by the European Commission as it aims to cut dependency on China for mineral resources. Lithium is a key component in batteries for electric vehicles and mobile devices. The mine in the Jadar valley would eventually meet 90% of Europe's lithium needs should it go ahead. But like thousands of protesters, including many other farmers, who have sought to block development of the project in recent years, Kokanovic is worried about pollution of farmland in a region where a majority of people live off agriculture. "There are some things the money cannot buy," Kokanovic, a father of five children who is one of the largest milk producers in Gornje Nedeljice and a leading activist in the region, told Reuters. "I want to tell them (Rio Tinto) not to try to develop the mine or there will be unrest," he added. Rio Tinto has not given a start date for the project, which is expected to produce 58,000 metric tons of lithium carbonate annually, but has pledged to develop the mine cleanly. "The project will be delivered to the highest levels of transparency, to the highest levels of environmental protection and human rights standards," said Chad Blewitt, Rio Tinto's managing director for the Jadar project. "The European Union and European Commission never substitute, they never sacrifice those high standards." Blewitt had told Reuters on Wednesday that the company is revising the cost of the project. Rio Tinto's lithium project has been contested by green groups for years and sparked massive street protests in EU-candidate Serbia in 2022. In 2021 and 2022, Serbian environmentalists collected 30,000 signatures in a petition demanding that parliament enact legislation to halt lithium exploration in the country. The government revoked all Rio Tinto's exploration licences in 2022, before the Constitutional Court overturned the decision last year and reinstated them. Government officials say the mine will boost Serbia's economy. How protesters can stop a project that has domestic and international approval is unclear. But recent student protests in Serbia, where hundreds of thousands have taken to the streets and succeeded in collapsing the government, show the strength of civil society in the Balkan country. Kokanovic remains determined. 'My message to them is not to even try (to excavate lithium in Jadar), unless they want this government to be toppled fast."
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Tesla Stock Is Sinking. Trump-Musk Tensions Are Just One Reason Why.
Tesla shares slid Thursday, extending Wednesday's decline. The losses come as reports this week showed sales continued to decline in May across several European countries, and CEO Elon Musk criticized President Trump's signature budget legislation. Recent declines have rolled back some of Tesla's gains after CEO Elon Musk in April said he would spend more time at his (TSLA) shares dropped Thursday, falling for a second straight day, amid a public spat between CEO Elon Musk and President Donald Trump. The stock was down close to 9% in recent trading, extending Wednesday's decline. It has lost about one-quarter of its value since the start of the year. Musk left his role in the Trump administration last week. He has since attacked the Trump-backed budget reconciliation bill currently working its way through Congress, calling it a "disgusting abomination," and urging the Senate to "kill the bill." Trump at an event with the Chancellor of Germany on Thursday said he is "very disappointed" in Musk's recent attacks. Trump said that Musk "knew everything" about the bill, and claimed that the Tesla CEO only turned against the bill because of the cuts it would make to electric vehicle mandates and programs. "Elon and I had a great relationship," Trump said. "I don't know if we will anymore." "Whatever," Musk said in a post responding to a video of Trump's comments. "Keep the EV/solar incentive cuts in the bill, even though no oil & gas subsidies are touched (very unfair!!), but ditch the MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill." In a separate post, Musk called Trump's assertion that he knew details about the bill "false," and said that members of Congress did not read it before voting on it. "Without me, Trump would have lost the election," Musk posted minutes later. Tesla has also gotten more disappointing sales news in recent days: Auto industry groups in several European countries reported sales data for May showing declines in Tesla sales as overall EV sales rose. Despite the weak sales, some analysts have pointed to the planned launch of fully autonomous Tesla rides in Austin, Texas this month as a coming positive catalyst for the stock. The stock's recent declines have rolled back some of Tesla's gains after Musk in April said he would spend more time at his companies, and left the Trump administration in May. This article has been updated since it was first published to include additional information and reflect more recent share price values. Read the original article on Investopedia Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
‘Premeditated genocide': Brazil's Lula slams Israel over Gaza war
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva accused Israel of carrying out 'premeditated genocide' in Gaza during a visit to Paris, as it emerged the military had killed at least 52 people in its latest onslaught in the besieged coastal enclave where a crippling blockade is fuelling starvation. 'What is happening in Gaza is not a war. It's a genocide being carried out by a highly prepared army against women and children,' said Lula at a joint news conference in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday. '[It is] a premeditated genocide from a far-right government that is waging a war, including against the interests of its own people,' he said of Israel's 20-month offensive, which has killed at least 54,607 Palestinians so far, according to the enclave's Health Ministry. At least 52 people were killed on Thursday, including women and children, according to medical sources, who spoke to Al Jazeera, amid growing concern about deadly incidents at aid distribution sites run by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation since last week. While Lula has previously used the term 'genocide' to characterise Israel's actions in Gaza, Macron has reserved judgement, saying last month that it was not for a 'political leader to use the term, but up to historians to do so when the time comes'. The Brazilian leader's condemnation of Israel's offensive came as German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told his visiting Israeli counterpart, Gideon Saar, to allow more humanitarian aid into the enclave in accordance with 'prevailing international law'. Last week, Wadephul had said Germany was assessing 'whether what is happening in Gaza is in line with international law' and that arms sales to Israel would be evaluated on this basis. Wadephul also said he was 'concerned about the extremely tense situation in the West Bank', decrying the Israeli government's announcement that it would allow 22 more settlements in the occupied territory, saying it threatened the two-state solution further. On Thursday, King Abdullah of Jordan praised Spain for recognising Palestine and calling for an end to the war in Gaza during a meeting with King Felipe in Madrid. He said work was underway to gain European support. Jordan's state news agency Petra cited him as saying work was under way to harness European support for an Arab plan to rebuild Gaza without displacing its residents, as threatened by US President Donald Trump this year.
