The European Union’s executive is set to present on Nov.8 an assessment of progress made by Ukraine in its membership bid, three officials said, a key stepping stone in the bloc’s decision on whether to start accession talks with Kyiv.
The assessment will come in an annual report by the Brussels-based European Commission detailing how far countries looking to join the 27-nation bloc have advanced in meeting the necessary economic, legal and other criteria.
A decision is then expected during a Dec.14-15 summit of EU leaders on whether to launch formal membership negotiations with Ukraine, a top priority for Kyiv as it fights the Russian invasion.
It should be. They may be the victims of an invasion, but you can’t whitewash away their pre-existing problems because of that.