Details on expert group from Northern Europe to advise Kyiv on EU accession revealed
Pravda Ukraine
The advisory group of experts who will advise Ukraine on the processes related to its accession to the EU will include representatives of six Northern European countries.
Source: press service of the Ukrainian government
Details: The group will include professional representatives of the North-Baltic Eight countries (Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Sweden, Iceland and Finland) who have extensive experience in EU institutions and have been involved in the negotiation process.
In particular, the list of representatives includes:
- Alar Streimann, negotiator of Estonia’s accession to the EU;
- Algirdas Šemeta, former European Commissioner and twice Minister of Finance of Lithuania;
- Andris Piebalgs, former European Commissioner and Latvian diplomat;
- Cecilia Malmström, former European Commissioner and Minister for EU Affairs of Sweden (2006-2010);
- Högni S. Kristjánsson, Icelandic diplomat and Director for European Affairs and EU accession negotiator (2008-2013);
- Katarina Areskoug, State Secretary for EU and International Affairs of Sweden (2010-2014);
- Laimonas Čiakas, former Director General of the National Land Service of Lithuania (2017-2021);
- Marja Rislakki, former Permanent Representative of Finland to the EU (2017-2021);
- Stefán Haukur Jóhannesson, Chief Negotiator for Iceland’s accession to the EU (2009-2013).
The group’s activities will be coordinated by the National Board of Trade Sweden, a Swedish government agency founded in 1651 that deals with international trade, the domestic market and EU trade policy.
Background:
- The initiative was announced by the Swedish Foreign Minister on 10 April after a meeting with his Nordic counterparts on the island of Gotland.
- As is known, the Ukrainian side and Brussels are working to ensure that the official opening of negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU takes place no later than the end of June, when Belgium’s presidency of the EU Council ends and Hungary’s six-month presidency begins.
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