The European Commission is preparing to assess the progress of EU candidate countries
On October 30, the European Commission will present an annual assessment of the progress of countries applying for membership in the European Union, including Ukraine. EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Maternova said this during an interview for Suspilny on October 18.
She noted that the media play an important role in civil society, especially in the fight against corruption and disinformation. Maternova emphasized that the EU actively supports Ukrainian mass media engaged in fact-checking, and has already invested about 15 million euros to support 15 Ukrainian media specializing in fact-checking, which is of great importance in wartime conditions.
“I think Ukraine is a special situation because there is a lack of money. You are fighting a war and it costs a lot of lives and money. So the European Union is one of those that strongly supports independent media.”– said the ambassador.
Maternova also shared her own experience of participating in seminars for regional journalists, where they are taught professional skills. According to her, independent mass media play a critical role in the process of European integration of Ukraine.
She added that in less than two weeks, the new “enlargement package” of the European Commission for 2024 will be published, which will include an assessment of Ukraine’s progress towards EU membership.
The European Commission also reported that there is a real prospect of opening negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU this winter, which is an important step in the country’s European integration efforts.
