The door to EU membership has opened for Ukraine. This after the heavy trio of Germany, France and Italy visited Kyiv on Thursday and told President Volodymyr Zelensky that they believe that Ukraine should be allowed to become a candidate country.
The European Commission confirmed the direction of travel on Friday. Chairman Ursula von der Leyen, symbolically dressed in a blue shirt and yellow jacket, explained the conditions that should be associated with the country receiving this status.
Among other things, they are about:
● Improve the judiciary so that the principles of the rule of law are guaranteed.
● Sharpen the fight against corruption.
● Introduce legislation that guarantees the rights of minorities.
Ursula von der Leyen pointed out during a press conference that Ukraine has incorporated a large part of the EU acquis into its legislation, but that the Commission wants to see it really applied.
Moldova should also be granted candidate status, according to her, while Georgia is not really there yet.
The final announcement on the position of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia in the EU will come at midsummer time, when the EU’s 27 heads of state and government will meet in Brussels.
Because previously hesitant France and Germany have now given their green light, more countries will follow. Sweden belongs to them. Foreign Minister Ann Linde declared on Friday that Sweden supports Ukraine becoming a candidate country.
Precis deltagit på EU-nämnden där jag inför FAC berättat om att Sverige stödjer 🇺🇦 med kandidatlandsstatus med villkor. Jag informerade också om EU:s svar på Rysslands aggression mot 🇺🇦, om utvecklingen i länderna på Afrikas horn och om EU:s samarbete med Egypten.
— Ann Linde (@AnnLinde) June 17, 2022
Countries in Central and Eastern Europe strongly support Ukraine’s efforts to become an EU member. Question marks exist around a country – Hungary.
The relationship between Volodymyr Zelensky and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is cold, partly because Hungary refuses to allow arms shipments to Ukraine to pass through Hungarian territory.
Zelensky has called the regime in Budapest a Russian branch that divides the EU from within. Hungary, for its part, accused Ukraine of trying to influence the Hungarian elections in April.
Hungarian Foreign Minister admittedly said in March that it considers Ukraine to be a candidate country. Whether it still applies next week is unclear. In recent times, Viktor Orbán’s regime has acted increasingly capriciously.
For example, after lengthy negotiations, Orbán finally agreed to the latest sanctions package against Russia. But when this was formally decided by EU ambassadors, Hungary unexpectedly demanded that the supreme leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill (former KGB agent), be removed from the list of sanctions.
When EU finance ministers were to give the go-ahead for a global minimum tax on companies on Friday, Hungary suddenly said no, despite no previous objections.
Responsible within the Commission for EU enlargement, the Hungarian Oliver Varhelyi, loyal to Orbán. Although Varhelyi stood next to Ursula von der Leyen at the press conference and justified why Ukraine should be a candidate country, it should not be ruled out that Orbán does what Erdogan did in NATO and throws gravel at the machinery at midsummer. That would please Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Whatever the outcome of the midsummer summit, it is a long and arduous road for Ukraine and Moldova before the next important step can be taken – to open membership negotiations. Becoming a candidate country has no practical significance, but is a strong symbolic and political mark where the countries belong: So from large parts of the EU, the message now is: Welcome to the EU, Ukraine and Moldova!
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Heavy EU countries want to give Ukraine candidate status
Ukraine is fighting for its EU membership