“I think that for all three countries, including Georgia, there have been very clearly the steps that have been highlighted and which will have to be met. The oral report will be presented today for all three countries.

There will be also a positive assessment of the task they managed to accomplish, where they achieve good progress. But being well prepared for the enlargement is not an easy task. I’m from one of the countries which went through this process and entered the European Union only in 2004, so, I know how difficult and demanding task it is.

Therefore, there will be also descriptions of the areas where more efforts would need to be deployed. But what is very important is that we look at it from the perspective of political encouragement. That’s good news. We are working together. The perspective is very clear. It’s European Union, and it very much depends on the efforts of the countries who want to join the EU but also on the efforts on the other side, how much we can help them by expertise, by good advice, also by financial support in a case of Ukraine, by supporting their efforts to defend and liberate their country.

Therefore, I’m glad that today we will have the whole day among ourselves to discuss these issues because I think every single European member state will have to put up an effort also to prepare the Union and to offer assistance, and experience to the aspiring countries to make sure that the enlargement process will be seen as a success. And that in a few years, we’ll be very proud that we’ve been taking these strategic decisions during the Swedish presidency,” Maroš Šefčovič said.