ROME, April 26. /TASS/: Ukraine hopes to be "fully prepared" for EU membership in two years, Prime Minister Denis Shmygal said in an address published in Italian economic newspaper Il Sole - 24 Ore on Wednesday.
"We have an ambitious plan to be fully prepared for EU membership in two years," the message reads.
Shmygal arrived in Rome on Wednesday for a conference on Ukraine's reconstruction, organized by the Italian government. The authorities and business representatives from the two countries will attend the event. More than 600 companies are expected to participate.
"We are certain that together with our allies we will implement an emergency reconstruction program that will benefit not only Ukraine but also Italy and the whole of all of Europe," Shmygal believes. "Ukraine is working with partners on an equivalent of the Marshall Plan. Italy is the third largest economy in the European Union. Italian companies may play a key role in the recovery plan. We are already inviting Italian companies to cooperate, as the recovery plan begins this year."
The conference was to be officially opened by Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on Wednesday morning. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky will also attend by video link, Tajani said. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Shmygal are expected to speak at the conference's closing session.
