The longer Russia’s war against Ukraine lasts, the greater the differences within the EU. Is the initial unity in danger?
With the increasing duration of the Russian war against Ukraine, tensions between the EU states about the future course of the European Union are growing.
Shortly before a meeting of heads of state and government this Thursday and Friday, there was a backstage struggle over how to deal with Ukraine’s application for EU membership. There was also the question of how quickly another package of sanctions against Russia should be decided and whether this could also target the Russian energy sector.
Countries like Poland and Lithuania recently spoke out in favor of banning the import of gas, oil and coal from Russia in order to deprive the Russian state of its main source of income and to make further financing of the war against Ukraine more difficult. However, countries such as Germany and Austria have so far opposed this because they are particularly dependent on Russian energy supplies.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) said on Monday: “There is currently no other way of securing Europe’s supply of energy for heat generation, for mobility, for power supply and for industry.”
According to estimates by the Brussels think tank Bruegel, EU countries currently spend around 420 million dollars (380 million euros) on Russian gas and almost 400 million dollars (362 million euros) on oil from Russia.
Macron: “Prepare for all scenarios”
French President Emmanuel Macron urged unity and strength in Europe. “Europe has to adapt to all scenarios,” said Macron in Versailles. “I’m concerned and pessimistic. There will be no solution in the next few hours and days.” Nevertheless, he maintains close contact with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin. “We will speak to Putin again in the coming hours.”
“We realize that our democracy is threatened,” said Macron. Europe must react to this. More sovereignty and independence are needed in defense and energy supply. “Europe has changed during the pandemic and will change even faster in the face of war.”
Discussions about Ukraine’s EU accession
There are also controversial discussions in the EU about the question of how to deal with the Ukrainian desire for quick EU membership. A draft for the final declaration of the summit in Versailles says: “Ukraine belongs to the European family.” According to the text, however, no concrete commitments were made to Kyiv with a view to rapid EU accession.
According to diplomats, countries like Estonia and Lithuania tried to do something about it until the very end. The Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas told the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” that in her eyes there was a moral obligation “to make their European dream possible for these people”. Ukrainians fought not only for Ukraine, but for Europe in the truest sense of the word.
Kallas argues that such a move would bring hope not only to Ukrainians currently defending their country. It would also be in the interest of the EU. “We too would benefit from Ukraine being a prosperous country with an independent judiciary.”
According to diplomats, however, countries such as Germany, France, the Netherlands and Denmark are opposed to promising Ukrainians a quick EU accession. They argue, among other things, that Ukraine will not be able to meet the conditions for accession in the foreseeable future. In her opinion, however, it is possible to expand the cooperation.
Ukraine hopes for speed
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy applied for EU membership last week in response to the Russian war against his country. However, joining the EU is a long and complicated process. Even if the EU Commission evaluates the application for membership positively, the start of the admission negotiations could still be a long time coming, since all EU states have to agree.
Ukraine hopes for speed. “It’s not about getting membership tomorrow. We don’t want a free pass. But we want this to happen in an urgent procedure, within a few years,” said the Ukrainian ambassador in Berlin, Andriy Melnyk, to the German Press Agency. The EU and Ukraine signed an Association Agreement in 2017 to deepen political and economic ties.
Scholz against rapid EU accession
“It is very important that we continue to pursue the things that we have decided in the past,” said Scholz in Versailles. He referred to the association agreement that the EU and Ukraine concluded in 2017, which is intended to deepen political and economic relations. “That is the course we must pursue.”
In addition, Scholz alluded to the fact that with 27 states, it was already difficult to make unanimous decisions in the EU, for example on foreign, economic and financial policy issues. The EU must continue to develop in perspective “when it comes to making decisions, making majority decisions possible”.
Effects on the economy in the EU
Another explosive topic at the summit in the Palace of Versailles is how to deal with the effects of the war on economic development in the EU. France has brought up the idea of adopting a debt-financed support program, as it did during the Corona crisis. This could therefore help to cushion the consequences of the current increase in energy prices, but also promote investments in defense projects. Countries like Germany and the Netherlands do not consider this necessary at the moment and point out that the 800 billion euro Corona aid package should first be used up.
Source: Stern
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