Zelensky gives EU ambassador completed questionnaire for Ukraine to receive EU candidate status

KYIV. April 18 (Interfax-Ukraine) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has given Matti Maasikas, the head of the European Union Delegation to Ukraine, the completed questionnaire to receive EU candidate status, the presidential press service said on Monday.

At the ceremony to hand over the document, Zelensky said work on the questionnaire normally takes years. "I want to thank you for the speed, for the possibility to complete this procedure in weeks or a couple of months. We believe that we will receive support for this work, we will become a candidate, and then the next and final stage will begin. We believe that this procedure will take place in the coming weeks," the president said.

Maasikas, for his part, said Ukraine's answers in the questionnaire will be analyzed very quickly.

Andriy Yermak, the head of the president's office, said Ukraine hopes to get EU candidate status after the meeting of the European Council in June 2022.

"Then talks on joining should start, which should be held using a speedy procedure," Yermak said on Telegram on Monday.

The first part of the questionnaire has been sent to the European Commission, he said. "We are working on the second part and we will be waiting for a positive recommendation from the European Commission. The entire team of the president, the office and the government is working to do all that depends on us as soon as possible," Yermak said.

According to earlier reports, the questionnaire consists of two parts, of which one contains political and economic criteria and the second one includes an evaluation of the compliance of Ukrainian legislation with the legal acts of the European Union.