Representatives of civil society, scientific and cultural communities of Ukraine and other countries called on the parliaments of the European community to approve Ukraine's application for EU candidate status and show political will to implement this status.

It is noted that such a step will be a manifestation of the support of the European community of Ukraine in the war with Russia and will significantly increase its resistance.. In the post-war period, it will encourage Ukrainians to take the necessary steps to achieve integration and create an institutional framework for economic recovery. At the same time, the EU will get a candidate who, with his energy, beliefs and values, will help to renew the entire project of the European Union..

Experts of the Ukrainian Center for European Policy stressed that Ukraine's European aspirations are based on the freedom of the people and are confirmed by the achievements made by the country after the signing of the Association Agreement in 2014.

In particular, significant progress has been made since that time in bringing national legislation closer to the EU.. Ukraine has invested significant institutional and political capital in the implementation of the Agreement. Thus, the Government Office for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine was created and deputy ministers specifically responsible for European integration were appointed in the relevant ministries.. A community of experts, lawyers and civil servants began to work, contributing to the approximation of Ukrainian legislation to the EU.

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Poland will do everything for Ukraine's accession to the European Union.

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Progress has been made in almost all sections of the Association Agreement, and in some areas Ukraine is more advanced than many former candidates at the beginning of the accession. EU rules have been put into practice in sectors such as public procurement, energy, transplantation and market surveillance reform.

Ukraine still needs to take many important steps, because the approximation of EU legislation is a difficult task for a post-Soviet country, but the actual granting of the status of an EU candidate will be the political signal for the Ukrainian society that will help to implement them, at the same time, Ukraine will receive access to technical assistance.

According to Lyubvi Akulenko, executive director of the Ukrainian Center for European Policy, all doubts about Ukraine's ability to work in the field of security and political reforms should be dispelled among the countries of the European community..

“Ukraine's path to the EU is the transformation of the country into a truly European democracy, in which corruption has been overcome, an independent judiciary is functioning, and European standards and practices for business have been introduced.. The fact that Ukraine has started the path of obtaining the status of a candidate country is a historic chance and it needs to be seized,” she said..

Igor Koliushko, Chairman of the Board of the Center for Political and Legal Reforms, noted that the selfless struggle against the Moscow imperial aggression showed the whole world that Ukrainians are devoted to European values. So, obtaining the charter of the EU candidate country will be an important step in Ukraine's return to the European family of nations..

“There is no doubt about the rapid membership of Ukraine in the EU, and about our successful integration into the value and legal space of the EU, and about enriching this space with our energy, beliefs and experience,” he stressed..

Mikhail Zhernakov, Chairman of the Board of the DEJURE Foundation, drew attention to the fact that in the EU questionnaire, question #1 is the rule of law, and this is no coincidence. After all, literally everything directly depends on this - the protection of people's rights, and foreign investment and, accordingly, the state of the economy.

. And, finally, can Ukraine be considered a truly European country?.

" This is a chance for Ukraine to finally return to the European family. But it is also an opportunity for the EU to help protect the frontier of the democratic world, where Ukrainians, by sacrificing their lives, have proved their worth..

The appeal to the parliaments of the EU countries has already been signed by more than a hundred moral authorities of Ukraine and the world.