Ukraine hopes that its application for EU membership will be accepted quickly. But the EU is struggling with concrete commitments. However, Ukrainian refugees should receive extensive help.
The heads of state and government of the EU countries have put a significant damper on Ukraine’s hopes of rapid accession to the European Union.
The statement from the EU summit in Versailles early in the morning does say: “Ukraine is part of our European family.” However, no concrete commitments were made to Kyiv with a view to acceding to the EU quickly, even after the eight-hour summit deliberations.
Declaration EU summit in Versailles
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and his colleagues merely promised Ukraine to further strengthen ties and deepen the partnership in order to support them on their European path. In addition, it was emphasized that the EU Commission had been quickly tasked with examining the Ukrainian application for EU membership.
Ukraine hopes for EU membership in an urgent procedure
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 positively, the start of the admission negotiations could still be a long time coming, since all EU states have to agree.
Ukraine, on the other hand, is hoping for a much faster pace. “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. In 2017, the EU and Ukraine concluded an association agreement intended to deepen political and economic relations. In addition to Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia have also recently applied for membership. The EU summit pointed out that the EU Commission had also been asked to assess these two applications.
Extensive help for Ukrainian war refugees
The heads of state and government of the EU states have promised all war refugees from Ukraine extensive help. At the same time, at their summit in Versailles, France, they called on Russia to grant humanitarian access to the victims and displaced persons of the war in Ukraine and to allow civilians safe transit to escape.
“The EU and its member states will continue to show solidarity and offer humanitarian, medical and financial support to all refugees and host countries,” said a statement published during the night. Russia is called upon to “fully comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law”.
Source: Stern
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