Prospects for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union
Bumpy road to freedom
ANALYTICS 28 June 2024 - 14:00
Fuad Shahbazov |
On June 25, the European Union (EU) announced that it started formal talks on membership with Moldova and Ukraine, a decade after Russian troops seized the Crimean Peninsula to deter the country from moving closer to the West.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called it a "historic day" ahead of the start of talks between officials from Kyiv and the EU's 27 member states in Luxembourg. Ukraine and, later, its neighbour Moldova lodged their bids to join the EU in the immediate aftermath of Russia's all-out assault in February 2022. The start of the talks marked just the beginning of a protracted process of reforms strewn with political obstacles that will likely take many years.
Although official Kyiv and Chisinau seem optimistic regarding the membership status, some EU member states such as Hungary, Slovakia, Germany, and others voice their scepticism. However, the issue of Ukraine and Moldova put the EU in a very challenging dilemma as the membership of Ukraine is of particular importance for the West to keep supporting Kyiv against Russia’s invasion efforts. Russia’s recent advancements and military gains in Ukraine emboldened the EU to demonstrate firm support for Ukraine in light of criticism and pressure. Simply put, Russia’s war in Ukraine has reinvigorated the EU’s efforts to expand its membership, much to Moscow’s chagrin.
The start of EU membership negotiations is one of many milestones in a typically years-long process, where countries are required to make judicial, economic, and constitutional reforms before they can be considered ready to join the EU. It has taken around a decade on average for previous candidates to join the bloc. For example, other Balkan states – Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia, and Serbia are engaged in long-term formal negotiations to become EU members, though with no success.
Despite positive dynamics between the EU and Ukraine–Moldova that has been cemented since 2022, relations between Brussels and Kyiv are not that smooth. For example, in a less welcome development, the EU is set to reimpose tariffs on Ukrainian sugar and egg imports until June 2025. The reimposition of tariffs underlines how difficult Kyiv’s accession negotiations will be. Ukraine is an agricultural powerhouse that can produce food more cheaply than EU member states and would still become the main beneficiary of farm subsidies.
Consequently, the membership of Ukraine in the EU is a relevantly new phenomenon. First, in 2003, Romano Prodi – then President of the European Commission, suggested the idea of integration of Ukraine into the EU, though with no result. The same idea was reiterated in 2013, one year before the Ukraine war unfolded, but the EU agenda was absorbed by the internal problems caused by the euro crisis. Eventually, Ukraine submitted a formal application to join the EU four days after the Russian invasion. Nearly four months later, the EU declared the country a candidate, giving a strong sense of European political solidarity with Kyiv.
Indeed, Ukraine’s EU membership is a long-term goal. In the short term, the focus should be on aid and reconstruction. It is important to focus on tangible, ambitious, but also achievable goals in the short term. Moreover, candidate status does not necessarily offer guarantees, and according to certain experts, a stage-based approach should be selected to reach a consensus among the other member states.
The current situation on the frontline suggests that Ukraine and Russia would face a military draw and subsequently reach a status quo deal, leaving already occupied Ukrainian territories under Russian control. This would most likely imply the indefinite "freezing" of the conflict. As a result, Ukraine would face a permanent security threat on its borders and lose access to the Azov Sea, while its Black Sea ports would remain blocked.
Nevertheless, Kyiv intends to keep resisting and seeking more military-financial aid from the West to counter the Russian invasion. Therefore, prospects of the EU and NATO membership seem to be an inevitable and viable option for Ukraine amid devastating war and depleting human and economic resources.
Caliber.Az
1
|
Is the US ready to cut through the Zangezur corridor? Experts weigh in on O'Brien's visit
28 June 2024 - 14:30
|
2
|
Will Israel go for a full-scale war in Lebanon? Destroying red lines
27 June 2024 - 14:25
|
3
|
Yerevan's scandalous statements undermine peace process Unreliability as a brand of Yerevan
29 June 2024 - 12:20
|
4
|
A lesson for Armenian diplomacy Naivety or political posturing?
29 June 2024 - 11:48
|
5
|
Armenian security supremo points fingers at Russia as French arms deal stirs controversy Blame & betrayal
28 June 2024 - 09:22
|
Italy finalises deal for last submarine in U-212 NFS series
30 June 2024 - 22:03
China unveils colossal hydroelectric power plant at 3,000 metres altitude
11 billion kWh and as big as Eiffel Tower30 June 2024 - 20:03
Media: NATO, EU fear Biden's withdrawal from presidential race
30 June 2024 - 18:25
Israeli Finance Ministry extends cooperation with Palestinian banks
30 June 2024 - 18:14
Bomb blasts in Nigeria's Borno state claim 18 lives
30 June 2024 - 18:00
North Korea warns about severe consequences due to “Asian NATO”
30 June 2024 - 17:44
Azerbaijan, Croatia discuss cooperation, demining efforts
PHOTO30 June 2024 - 17:30
NATO raises concerns over Russian underwater operations in North Sea
30 June 2024 - 17:16
Türkiye boosts gas production in Black Sea
30 June 2024 - 16:57
Iran condemns Western involvement in chemical warfare
30 June 2024 - 16:40
Azerbaijan, Armenia in focus: Rebuilding, delimitation, US interest in peace treaty
Weekly review30 June 2024 - 16:19
Hungary's Orbán unveils "Patriots for Europe" alliance with Austrian, Czech far-right parties
30 June 2024 - 16:02
Israel issues stern warning to Iran, Hezbollah amid escalating tensions
30 June 2024 - 15:46
Chinese president to embark on diplomatic tour to Central Asia
30 June 2024 - 15:29
French election: Observer gets into fight with polling station chairman
30 June 2024 - 15:12
Five Indian Army soldiers die in river-crossing exercise
30 June 2024 - 14:54
Expert: Pezeshkian's victory in Iranian elections unfavorable for Armenia
30 June 2024 - 14:37
Biden continues to fight for presidency
Bloomberg30 June 2024 - 14:19
Syria, Türkiye to hold talks in Baghdad
30 June 2024 - 13:54
Russian ships leave Baku following successful friendly visit
PHOTO30 June 2024 - 13:38
US Army armour arrives at NATO storage facility in Poland
30 June 2024 - 13:22
Azerbaijan to host Electric Vehicle Festival for first time
30 June 2024 - 13:04
First round of French elections marred by violence in New Caledonia
30 June 2024 - 12:46
UK’s Maritime Trade Operations reports incident in Red Sea
30 June 2024 - 12:30
Australia issues first green bonds worth billions of dollars
30 June 2024 - 12:16
Türkiye battles fierce wildfires in Izmir
30 June 2024 - 11:58
Türkiye approves amendment to tariff quota on imports of Azerbaijani goods
30 June 2024 - 11:46
Israel warns of radical Muslim occupation
30 June 2024 - 11:42
Israeli military intensifies operations in Gaza
30 June 2024 - 11:25
Unexpected moments in China-Poland ties due to President Duda’s visit
From Amber to Silk roads30 June 2024 - 11:09
Macron's "Renaissance" crumbles amid far-right's election ascendancy
Expert insights30 June 2024 - 10:56
Serbia declares red alert over terrorism threat
30 June 2024 - 10:50
President Erdogan to participate in informal OTS summit in Shusha
30 June 2024 - 10:36
French voters head to polls in historic snap election
30 June 2024 - 10:20
Azerbaijani wrestler becomes European champion
30 June 2024 - 10:01
UN secretary general to visit Uzbekistan for high-level talks
30 June 2024 - 09:46
US fears Israeli invasion of Lebanon could trigger Iran-Russia military alliance
30 June 2024 - 09:30
Macron in the grip of unpopularity, pressure & political fallout ahead of snap parliamentary polls
Internal strife & foreign challenges30 June 2024 - 09:17
Russia building new shadow fleet for LNG exports to evade sanctions
30 June 2024 - 09:05
Harsh realities, root causes of Ukraine war
A new book reveals30 June 2024 - 08:04