Latest news with #GuillaumeMercier
Saba Yemen
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
Russia: EU threats to Serbian president criminal acts, blackmail
Moscow - Saba: Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova has described the EU's threats to Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić over his intention to visit Moscow on Victory Day as "criminal acts and blackmail." This came in response to statements by European Commission official Guillaume Mercier, who stated that the Serbian president's visit to Russia would complicate Russia's EU accession negotiations. Zakharova wrote on her Telegram channel on Wednesday: "What are these 'black marks' that the West is distributing in the form of warnings? These are the methods of hackers and mafia practices, the methods of extortionists and criminals, and the actions of terrorist cells. How 'sophisticated' is the European Commission, which has adopted gangster methods in its dealings! If they are so brazenly insulting candidate countries, what will they do when the country is completely subservient to the will of these European thugs?" She added, "Has the European Commission abandoned democracy? If they respect democracy as a principle, they should respect the results of the democratic expression of the people's will. They should not resort to methods that the Commission itself rejects—dictatorship." Earlier today, European Commission spokesman Guillaume Mercier said at a press conference that EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos, during her visit to Serbia, had warned President Aleksandar Vučić that his visit to Russia on Victory Day, May 9, would complicate his country's EU accession negotiations. It is worth noting that European Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas had previously issued threats to EU leaders and candidate countries who might travel to Russia on May 9 to attend the Victory Day celebrations over Nazism. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print more of (International)
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Half of Ukraine's EU accession clusters already screened, says bloc
The process of screening Ukrainian legislation for compliance with EU law as part of accession negotiations has reached the halfway mark. The report on Cluster 1, Fundamentals, has been submitted to the EU Council, while reports on Cluster 2, Internal Market, and Cluster 6, External Relations, are expected by the end of June. The screening process is set to conclude in autumn 2025. Source: Guillaume Mercier, spokesperson for the European Commission, at the request of a European Pravda correspondent Details: Mercier stated that as part of the EU-Ukraine accession negotiations, the European Commission's screening report on Cluster 1 is complete. Reports on Clusters 2 and 6 will be submitted to the EU Council by the end of Poland's EU presidency in June, with three additional reports on the remaining clusters expected by the end of 2025, during Denmark's presidency. "Since the opening of accession negotiations, Ukraine has demonstrated remarkable commitment, moving forward steadily on key reforms, despite war raging. The Commission has delivered the fastest screening process to date – we are over half-way through, and the process should be finalised in autumn 2025," Mercier noted. "For the opening of negotiations on Cluster 1, the Council is now in the driving seat – and there is a consensus among 26 EU Member States [out of 27] to move ahead to open negotiations on Cluster 1," he said. In response to a question about Hungary's ongoing blockade of the opening of Cluster 1, Fundamentals, in Ukraine accession talks, and possible ways to overcome the Hungarian veto, the spokesperson emphasised: "The Commission is working with the Polish Presidency to identify solutions". "We must also address the particular concerns in certain Member States. This is why the Commission has personally invested energy to facilitate discussions between Hungary and Ukraine regarding the position of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine," said Mercier. He added that "all sides involved need to show good faith and willingness to reach compromises, this is in the EU's DNA". The European Commission spokesperson also mentioned the screening process for other clusters, which is ongoing in parallel. "To this day, we have achieved the screening of half of the clusters (Cluster 1 screening report has been submitted to the Council on 16 January 2025; the reports for Cluster 2 and Cluster 6 will reach the Council still during the Polish Presidency; the screening for the remaining Clusters will be finalised and the reports will reach the Council by the end of 2025, during the Danish Presidency)," he told European Pravda. He also explained that the screening process itself "will continue until autumn 2025". "Given the speed of the screening, the Commission is of the opinion that all clusters could be open this year, pending the approval from the Member States," Mercier concluded. Background: Earlier, sources told European Pravda that Moldova could open the first cluster in negotiations with the EU before Ukraine. In particular, Moldova will have completed the screening of four of the six clusters by the end of May 2025. As for Ukraine, Budapest has blocked the opening of the first negotiating cluster. Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has publicly voted against Ukraine's membership in the EU in a Hungarian poll. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
European Commission on Ukraine's EU accession: screening is taking place at an unprecedented speed
The process of screening (checking the compliance of Ukrainian legislation with EU law) within the framework of accession negotiations with Ukraine is proceeding at an unprecedented speed for the European Union. Source: European Commission spokesperson Guillaume Mercier at a briefing on 22 April in Brussels, answering a question from a European Pravda journalist Details: Mercier stressed that the EU enlargement process is a priority for the European Commission, and Ukraine is making steady progress towards the EU, in particular, demonstrating the highest screening rate in the history of enlargement. "Indeed, what I can say is that enlargement remains a top priority for this Commission. And we opened negotiations with Ukraine in June 2024. And Ukraine is making steady progress towards EU accession. So we are now in this process of going through all the bilateral screenings of the different European clusters", he said. "When it comes to Ukraine, we have followed this accelerated path, meaning that the screening process is going at a speed that we have never seen before, because experts from the Commission as well are working closely with the Ukrainian counterparts to make sure that this screening process can go as fast as possible", Mercier added. The spokesman specified that "we'll continue [the screening process – ed.] until the autumn". Mercier confirmed that Ukraine is ready to open the first negotiating cluster, Fundamentals, but that this requires the consent of all 27 EU member states. "Ukraine has fulfilled all the conditions to open the first cluster on the fundamentals, but this requires, obviously, as you said, the agreement from all the member states", he said. The opening of the first cluster of the negotiations was blocked by Hungary, which put forward additional conditions regarding the rights of Hungarians in Transcarpathia. Mercier added that "this discussion is happening in the Council". "What the Commission is doing is really to help and support Ukraine as much as possible in all the possible ways, meaning technical, political and financial support. We continue to do so, and we'll continue to also engage with all the member states", he stressed. Background: Earlier, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that Ukraine had reached the fastest pace of the accession process among all of the countries that have ever sought to become an EU member. In February 2025, Hungary blocked the opening of the first negotiation cluster with Ukraine and promised to block the opening of subsequent clusters until it held "consultations" with the Hungarian population on this issue. The "consultations", which are accompanied by manipulations and lies on the part of the Hungarian government, are due to end in late June. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
EU expects Ukraine to secure fairer terms in US minerals deal
The European Union has acknowledged that an earlier draft of the Ukraine–US critical minerals agreement contained provisions incompatible with EU law and therefore unacceptable to Ukraine. However, Brussels believes Kyiv will succeed in negotiating a version that better serves its national interests. Source: Guillaume Mercier, spokesperson for the European Commission, at a briefing on 15 April in Brussels, as reported by a European Pravda journalist Details: Mercier expressed confidence that Ukrainian authorities would be able to ensure the agreement aligns with Ukraine's strategic interests during ongoing talks with Washington. "What we can say is that, according to what we have seen in the past, we welcome the statement by President Zelenskyy that some provisions were incompatible with EU law, and those conditions would not be acceptable to Ukraine," he said. "And we trust that Ukraine authorities will negotiate the draft agreement to the best of Ukraine's interest," he added. Background: On 11 April, the Ukrainian delegation submitted proposals prepared by Kyiv to Washington during technical consultations on the minerals agreement. However, the prospects for a breakthrough following the 11 April meeting appear slim, given the reportedly "antagonistic" atmosphere. Earlier, European Pravda reported that the administration of US President Donald Trump had reinstated a provision in the minerals agreement requiring Ukraine to repay all assistance provided by the United States since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
EU says it cannot open negotiation clusters with Ukraine without Hungary's consent
Polish Minister for European Affairs Adam Szłapka said on 18 March in Brussels that the European Commission and Poland, which holds the EU presidency in the first half of 2025, are ready to open negotiating clusters with Ukraine, in particular the first cluster, Fundamentals. However, this process requires unanimous support from all 27 EU states and is unfortunately being blocked by Hungary. Source: Adam Szłapka, answering the questions of a European Pravda correspondent Quote: "You know the political situation in terms of bilateral relations between Ukraine and Hungary. We are, as I always say, determined as the Polish presidency to move the EU enlargement process forward. This is one of our priorities." Details: At the same time, the European Commission confirmed that the EU is currently unable to open the first cluster in the negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU due to Hungary's blocking of the process. Szłapka said that the European Commission is also "very determined" to conduct a screening process of Ukrainian legislation. "So we are ready to work on that, but we need unanimity, unfortunately," the Polish minister stated. "We hope that this (opening of clusters in negotiations with Ukraine) will be a process based on achievements and should be based on arguments, not on political issues," Adam Szłapka expressed hope. "Enlargement will remain a priority for this Commission. For Ukraine, we opened the accession process in June 2024. This was a recognition of Ukraine's determination to move forward with its EU path and implement transformational reforms, despite the ongoing aggressive war by Russia. Until now, Ukraine has been making steady progress towards EU membership," European Commission spokesman Guillaume Mercier said at a briefing on 18 March. He clarified that Ukraine is currently "undergoing bilateral screening reports, which will last until the autumn of this year". "Provided all the necessary requirements are met, the European Commission expects the first cluster, Fundamentals, to open as soon as possible in 2025. But this requires the consent of all member states," the spokesperson said. "In these circumstances, the unanimity requirement is an obstacle. We need all member states to agree. The Commission has given its assessment, and we believe we can open the first cluster. But now we need the agreement of all member states," Guillaume Mercier concluded. Background: This year, the European Commission announced ambitious plans to open three clusters of negotiations between Ukraine and the EU before the end of the Polish presidency in June 2025. However, in mid-February, it became known that Hungary had blocked the opening of the first negotiation cluster and demanded to expand the list of requirements for Ukraine. Read also: Easing martial law, reforms by 2027: what the EU expects of Ukraine on its path to membership Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
