High-Level Advisory Group on Ukraine's Accession to EU arrives in Kiev

MOSCOW. July 23 (Interfax) - The High-Level Advisory Group on Ukraine's Accession to the EU arrived in Kiev on Monday, July 22, on the first working visit, Ukrainian media said, citing the Office of Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olga Stefanishina.

"The group consists of 11 former European commissioners, ministers and ambassadors from Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark, who shared their experience of their countries' accession to the EU," Stefanishina's Office said on social media.

At the start of their visit, the group's members met with Stefanishina to discuss Ukraine's expectations in the context of accession to the EU, the priorities and the calendar, as well as the opportunities for interaction with the Advisory Group along this path. The group's experts said that their experience could help Ukraine make fast progress toward accession to the EU.

"We are grateful to the Nordic-Baltic Group for this initiative, and we are pleased to welcome you to Kiev for the first time. Now that the process of Ukraine's accession to the EU has begun formally, we are facing two challenges - to move forward at a rapid pace. Today, we discussed the architecture of the negotiation process and our expectations from each stage. There are two more days ahead, full of meetings with ministries, parliamentarians and civil society, and I am convinced that they will help you better understand all processes," Stefanishina said.

This initiative is part of Sweden's Nordic-Baltic Cooperation presidency, which began in April 2024. It is also funded by Sweden.