Ukraine is ready to postpone access to some European Union benefits to speed up its bid to join the bloc.
This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Taras Kachka in an interview with Bloomberg TV.
According to Kachka, Ukraine is ready to postpone the possibility of receiving subsidies from the EUʼs Common Agricultural Policy for several years to try to reduce the concerns of EU member states. Such an approach is possible, but Ukraine wants to discuss its terms first.
Ukraine has already been at odds with EU countries, particularly Poland, over the blocʼs easing of trade restrictions on Ukrainian agricultural exports. If Ukraine were to join the EU, it would also be entitled to significant benefits, further complicating one of the most contentious issues in EU budget negotiations.
The program provides financial support to EU farmers and makes up a significant portion of the blocʼs long-term budget, often influencing negotiations involving new members. The EU is currently negotiating a long-term financial framework that will run from 2028 to 2034. Kachka said Ukraine could join the Common Economic Policy in a later EU budget cycle.
The Deputy Prime Minister also said that Ukraine is ready to quickly meet the EUʼs requirements and aims to sign an accession treaty as early as 2027, depending on progress. Member states will need several more years to ratify Ukraineʼs membership.
- The day before, the Financial Times, citing sources and documents seen by journalists, wrote that Germany and France are opposed to the idea of accelerated membership for Ukraine in the European Union.
- Instead, they called for providing Ukraine with “symbolic” benefits during the preparation stage for accession, which would exclude subsidies for agriculture and voting rights. Two sources from the European Commission said that the general content of the proposals is likely to be close to the final EU offer for Ukraine.
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