On March 1, a week after the start of the Russian invasion, Volodymyr Zelenskyy linked up from his bunker in Kyiv with the European Parliament, which was convening in an extraordinary session. It was a historic day in its own right: a few hours earlier, the Ukrainian President had signed the application to join the European Union. And Strasbourg – by 637s, 13 nos and 26 abstentions – called on the 27 countries of the Union that day to grant Kyiv the status of a candidate for accession to the EU. Everyone in the classroom agreed. After three months in the trenches against the invader Putin, who doesn’t want Ukraine in NATO or even in Europe, Kyiv has now won the right to join the Union. the case to recall that in 2013 the pro-Russian government of Viktor Yanukovych refused to endorse an Economic Association Agreement with the EU – which committed Ukraine to reforms in exchange for financial support and the opening of the European market – and that no sufficient unleashing of the Maidan revolt, Yanukovych’s flight to Russia, Putin’s annexation of Crimea, the beginning of the war in Donbass. That deal (sought by Ukraine and rejected by Yanukovych), approved by Porosenko’s pro-Western government, then came into effect in 2017. And one of the reasons that prompted the Kremlin to invade. The shortcut request
Zelensky also asked the Strasbourg Parliament for a new special procedure, i.e. a shortcut to EU membership. An exception that never existed in the founding treaties of Europe, that of Rome in 1958 and that of Maastricht in 1993. a right thing and we deserve it, declared the President. The merits are not discussed. But how real is the possibility that Ukraine will quickly become a member of Europe? And how is it possible that a country that is currently at war does not have its territory under control and in which it is not possible to definitively determine whether Crimea is Ukraine or not, or whether Donbass is an autonomous region, abbreviations can take? In the meantime, Georgia (March 3) and Moldova (May 5) also joined Zelenskyy’s request, as they sensed the possibility of an accelerated procedure. Knocking is not enough to be welcomed.
The dates of entry into the EU
The next step is therefore to obtain candidate status. Article 2 of the Maastricht Treaty provides that the basis for access is the sharing of common values. To evaluate the commission, which normally takes up to a year and a half. Bosnia applied for membership in 2016 but has not yet received candidate status. Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen said that Ukrainians belong to us and share our values, which is why she committed to making a statement by June. But after the Commission, the European Council must give its unanimous opinion, which in turn informs the national parliaments of the 27 member countries. At this point, the European Parliament grants candidate status by a majority. Which still doesn’t mean automatic accession to Europe: Turkey has been a candidate since 1999 but is stopping there because the EU has taken its time and because President Erdogan – amid human rights abuses and state Islamization – has never taken a single step to get there to arrive at the required requirements. Accession to the EU requires a very lengthy process. we see
The negotiations
Once candidate status is achieved, negotiations will follow on 35 issues as the candidate country’s laws need to be harmonized with those of the Community. From taxes to justice, education, health, the banking system, energy and agricultural policy, customs, transport, human rights, the environment, food and veterinary regulations. When all processes and checks are completed, the accession treaty must be approved unanimously by the EU Council and by a majority in the European Parliament. Finally, the national parliaments of the 27 member states must give the final green light to join Europe and are required to ratify using the ceremonial procedures required of any international treaty. These negotiations take years, as the candidate country of the 35 chapters often has to conduct bilateral negotiations with individual member states and then report to the European Commission, which from time to time sets the parameters for each chapter and the deadlines for implementing the objectives in each of the 35 compartments. Croatia, for example, which had long since emerged from the Balkan wars of the 1990s, served for a full decade.
Who pushes and who brakes
Everyone seems to agree on the expeditious procedure for granting candidate status to Ukraine. Also at the price of working 24 hours a day, seven days a week, says Ursula von der Leyen. But things will change if the next stages, negotiations, are accepted. And the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, acknowledges that there are different opinions and sensitivities on this. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Slovenia are pushing for Ukraine’s accelerated accession. They openly protest against those countries that have been negotiating for years but have not yet managed to join: North Macedonia received status in 2005, Montenegro in 2010, Serbia in 2012 and Albania in 2014. Instead, they are colder against the possibility of entering Ukraine quickly Germany, Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg and France. French President Macron has reminded us that we must be clear: even if we grant candidate status tomorrow, we all know very well that the process will take decades.
May 23, 2022 | 06:55
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