A high-profile EU-Ukraine summit begins today in Kyiv. Discussions may include when Ukraine can start EU membership negotiations.
Ukraine wants to become a member of the EU very quickly. Prime minister Denys Shmyhal said In an interview with Politico magazine (you will switch to another service)that the country’s ambitious plan is to become a member of the EU within the next two years and to start preliminary membership negotiations already this year.
Academy researcher Timo Miettinen From the University of Helsinki, Ukraine’s hopes are met. EU membership negotiations are conducted through 35 large entities, and it takes time.
– The general view in Europe is that the time horizon for Ukraine’s EU membership is at least ten years, maybe even longer, Miettinen estimates on morning on Friday.
In June, EU countries accepted Ukraine and Moldova as candidate countries for the Union. Today the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the President of the European Council Charles Michel meet the President of Ukraine to Volodymyr Zelensky In Kyiv at the EU-Ukraine summit. There is also a large group of EU commissioners.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyi has hoped that the country’s actual EU membership negotiations could start already this year.
– I would believe that this is the kind of question that will be resolved today in Kyiv. We will see how far the EU is willing to bend in this matter. It is important for Ukraine to get this process started, even if it takes a long time, says the program director Juha Jokela From the Foreign Policy Institute.
Expert: Ukraine becoming a member of the EU gradually?
Last year, the EU prepared for Ukraine a list of seven conditions that the candidate for membership must fulfill before joining. They concern reforming the judiciary and work against corruption, oligarchs and money laundering. They also involve reforming the legislation on the press and civil minorities.
The EU expects the visit to gather information on how Ukraine has progressed in terms of reforms in various fields. This also explains the fact that several commissioners have gone with them to Kyiv, says Jokela.
According to Jokela, the research community is now thinking about whether it should be possible to gradually become a member of the EU. In this case, certain parts of the EU membership could already be given to the candidate country.
– There is such a challenge in the EU membership process that when it goes on for years and decades, will the candidate country’s motivation be maintained. Governments may change, and internal political challenges may arise. In the case of Ukraine, the country’s attachment to the EU’s internal market is one thing that can be brought up in further discussions, says Jokinen.
Watch the whole conversation in ‘s morning: