Arya News - Ukraine is taking technical steps toward membership in the European Union after vetoes by Hungary. Ukraine and the EU have a plan for it to prepare.
Dec. 11 (UPI) -- Ukraine is taking technical steps toward membership in the European Union after facing vetoes by Hungary.
The EU and Ukraine agreed on a 10-point plan to implement reforms to align with the bloc and eventually become a member.
"We see the membership of Ukraine in the EU as the political arm of the European security guarantee for Ukraine," EU enlargement chief Marta Kos said Thursday from an informal gathering in Lviv, Ukraine. She added that Ukraine"s membership will be "central to make any peace settlement sustainable."
The action plan was created by Kos and Ukraine"s Deputy Prime Minister Taras Kachka. Kos will bypass Hungary"s veto on the official opening of accession negotiations, which normally requires unanimous approval of all 27 EU countries.
Ukraine will informally begin reforms with support from the European Commission.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is the EU"s most Kremlin-friendly leader, but he"s facing strong opposition at home. Tisza, the political party led by Peter Magyar, leads in most polls and could oust Orban in the spring. Orban is also an ally of President Donald Trump.
"We are now frontloading all the technical work, and that means that even though it"s formally still blocked ... Ukraine is still able to move on," said Marie Bjerre, Denmark"s EU affairs minister. "There cannot be a blockade for eternity, it has to be lifted."
The plan to implement changes emphasizes corruption reform. Ukraine has struggled recently with cleaning up corruption with several high-ranking ministers being ousted. In November, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky sanctioned his former business partner Timur Mindich for his role in a corruption scandal. A few weeks later, Zelensky"s chief of staff Andriy Yermak resigned after his home was searched for evidence of a bribery scheme, though he maintains his innocence.
The country also needs to strengthen the rule of law and the judiciary over the coming year. It will expand the jurisdiction of Ukraine"s two anti-corruption bodies: the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor"s Office.
In July, Ukraine endured strong criticism by EU leader Ursula von der Leyen after the government tabled then withdrew a measure that would have given more independence to NABU and SAPO.
The new plan prioritizes "strengthening the independence" of both anti-corruption bodies and "protecting their jurisdiction from circumvention and undue influence," and "expanding the jurisdiction of NABU and SAPO to cover all high-risk positions based on the available independent assessment."
Zelensky has been making the rounds to visit European leaders, including in England , Italy and the Vatican.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a military spending bill on Wednesday that dedicated aid funds to Ukraine through 2027.