The European Union has rejected the idea of Ukraine joining in 2027 — they want to find other options
- Author:
- Oleksandr Bulin
- Date:
European Union countries have largely rejected the idea of offering Ukraine a “reverse membership” plan, fearing that the reform would undermine credibility in the accession process. The lack of enthusiasm was evident on the evening of March 4 at an informal dinner for ambassadors with the European Commission.
Euronews reports this, citing several diplomatic sources.
“The idea of this dinner was to bring back some level of political realism. Our priority is to firmly establish Ukraine in Europe, but to do so through actionable steps,” said one of the participants. He added that the EU now needs other options.
According to the idea of “reverse enlargement”, developed by the European Commission, Ukraine would become an official member of the EU, but without access to most of the associated benefits, such as voting rights or the Common Agricultural Policy. Ukraine would receive these benefits gradually, depending on the progress made in reforms. That is, Ukraine would first become a member, and then carry out the necessary reforms.
The Commission never put the proposal on paper. Instead, its outlines were discussed with member states and reported to the press. But four ambassadors criticized the concept, and the lack of enthusiasm suggested that the idea had reached its end. Diplomats also insisted that neither Washington nor Moscow should be allowed to dictate the pace of accession, which was up to the Commission and member states.
The ambassadors agreed that discussions need to continue in the coming months to find the right balance between Ukraineʼs aspiration to join the bloc and the need to maintain the stability of the union and the integrity of the accession process.
- President Volodymyr Zelensky insists that the future peace agreement between Ukraine and the Russian Federation include a clear date for Ukraineʼs accession to the EU, with 2027 as the target year.
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