Jean-Claude Juncker: Former EU Commission chief: Ukraine “not fit to join”

Former EU Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker has warned against Ukraine’s hasty accession to the European Union. “Anyone who has had anything to do with Ukraine knows that it is a country that is corrupt at all levels of society,” Juncker said in an interview with the “Augsburger Allgemeine.” “Despite the efforts, it is not eligible to join, it needs massive internal reform processes,” Juncker continued. The EU has had bad experiences with the rule of law with some “so-called new members”. This shouldn’t happen again.

Such an approach would also not be fair to the country itself, Juncker pointed out. “You shouldn’t make false promises to the people of Ukraine who are up to their necks in suffering.” Nevertheless, a “European perspective” for Moldova and Ukraine, “which so virtuously defends itself (against Russia) and defends European values,” must be maintained. It must be possible for these countries to “participate in parts of European integration,” says Juncker. “We should work towards making something like partial accession possible, an intelligent form of near-enlargement.”

EU Council President Charles Michel is now in favor of Ukraine joining the European Union by 2030 – under certain conditions. “Ukraine can belong to the EU in 2030 if both sides do their homework,” Michel told “Spiegel”. Among other things, he called on the EU to speed up decision-making processes.

In view of the Russian war of aggression, Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has repeatedly called for Ukraine to join the EU. At an election campaign event for the Bavarian Greens in Munich on Sunday, Baerbock said that it was Germany’s task “when this terrible war is finally over that Ukraine can also join the European Union.” It is up to Germany to continue building the EU.