BRUSSELS (AP) – The European Union agreed on Thursday to put Ukraine on the path to EU membership, acting with uncharacteristic speed and unity, to pull the affected country away from Russia’s influence and bind it more closely to the West.
At a summit in Brussels, the leaders of the 27 EU countries gathered the necessary unanimous approval for granting candidate status. This triggers a membership process that can take years or even decades.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote his gratitude on Twitter, saying: “Ukraine’s future lies within the EU.”
“It’s a victory. We waited 120 days and 30 years, “he said on Instagram, referring to the duration of the war and the decades since Ukraine became independent after the collapse of the Soviet Union. “And now we will defeat the enemy.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called it a “good day for Europe”.
The EU has also granted candidate status to the small country of Moldova, another former Soviet republic bordering Ukraine.
Ukraine applied for membership less than a week after Moscow’s February 24th invasion. Thursday’s decision was unusually quick for the EU and its slow approach to enlargement. But the war and Ukraine’s request for a speedy review added urgency to the country’s cause.
To gain EU membership, countries must meet a detailed set of economic and political conditions, including a commitment to the rule of law and other democratic principles. Ukraine will have to curb entrenched government corruption and adopt other reforms.
The European Parliament backed Ukraine’s candidacy hours before the summit, adopting a resolution calling on EU governments to “move without delay” and “fulfill their historic responsibility”.
“It will strengthen Ukraine, it will strengthen Europe. This is a decision for freedom and democracy and puts us on the right side of history, “said European Parliament President Roberta Mezzola before the final decision.
EU countries have united in supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion of money and weapons by adopting unprecedented economic sanctions against the Kremlin.
EU candidate status does not automatically entitle you to join the bloc and does not provide any immediate security guarantees.
However, once a country becomes a member, it is covered by a clause in the EU treaty, which states that if a member becomes a victim of armed aggression, other EU countries are obliged to help it by all means in force.
However, the main benefits of EU membership are economic, as it gives a market access of 450 million consumers with free movement of labor, goods, services and capital.
Ukraine has also long sought to join NATO, but the military alliance has no plans to offer an invitation, in part because of government corruption, the country’s defense shortcomings and disputed borders.
Before the war, Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded that Ukraine never be allowed to join NATO, which he condemned for spreading eastward to Russia’s flank. But earlier this month, he did not seem worried about Ukraine’s determination to move closer to the EU, saying it was not a military pact and therefore “we have no objections”.
EU leaders also agreed on Thursday to recognize a “European perspective” for another former Soviet republic, Georgia. European Council President Charles Michel said the EU would be ready to approve its candidate status once “outstanding priorities” were considered.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, whose country has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine’s European aspirations for years, said on Twitter: “This is a great moment for the unity of Europe and for the protection of its core values. The struggle for freedom continues. “
The membership process can be long and arduous.
Turkey, for example, applied for membership in 1987, received candidate status in 1999 and had to wait until 2005 to start negotiations on actual entry. Only one of the more than 30 negotiating “chapters” has been completed in the years since, and the whole process has stalled as a result of various disputes between the EU and Turkey.
Similarly, several Balkan countries have been unsuccessfully seeking to join the EU for many years.
MEPs said Ukraine had already adopted about 70% of EU rules and standards, but also pointed to corruption and the need for deep political and economic reforms in the country.
“Significant efforts will be needed, especially in the fight against corruption and the establishment of an effective rule of law,” said Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Cru. “But I am convinced that it is the (post-war) reconstruction of Ukraine that will provide opportunities to take important steps forward.
___
Follow the AP’s coverage of the war
Add Comment