EU moves Ukraine’s membership bid forward
Brussels, BELGIUM—The European Union on Monday moved Ukraine’s bid to join onto the next stage after a long delay—but that doesn’t mean Kyiv’s path to full membership is getting easier.
Foreign ministers from the 27-nation bloc will formally kick off negotiations with Ukraine, and neighboring Moldova, on aligning with a first “cluster” of EU laws.
Ukraine’s progress was stuck for some two years as Hungary’s nationalist leader Viktor Orban vetoed all progress, but his election defeat by rival Peter Magyar in April opened up the way.
“This is a recognition of the determination, courage and hard work shown by both countries in advancing reforms, even in the face of immense challenges,” EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said in a joint statement with European Council President Antonio Costa.
“In a world marked by growing uncertainty, a larger European Union is in our common interest.”
But despite the fanfare—and Kyiv’s pleas for quick progress four years after it applied for membership in the wake of Russia’s invasion—that doesn’t mean the war-torn country is going to join the bloc any time soon.
Mammoth workload
In purely practical terms, a mammoth workload still lies ahead to align Ukraine’s laws, institutions, and standards with the EU’s.
That involves negotiating through 35 “chapters” covering everything from the environment and agriculture to justice and security—grouped into six “clusters.”
But, as ever in the EU, the question is also deeply political and there are myriad points at which any member state who wants can slam the brakes on Kyiv.
“This is a long process. Ukraine is at war. It has organized crime issues to solve. It would be the third biggest country in the EU,” a European diplomat told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on condition of anonymity.
“The prospect of Ukraine enlargement happening soon never was realistic.”
Hungary’s Magyar, for one, has pledged a referendum on Kyiv joining if Ukraine completes all the negotiations “within the next 10 to 15 years.”
‘Associate’ member?
Beyond that, there seems to be a broader willingness to temper Kyiv’s ambitions—and growing talk of possible alternatives.
“It is clear to everyone that an immediate accession of Ukraine to the EU is, of course, not possible,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in April.
Merz has proposed making Ukraine an “associate member” of the EU without voting rights.
