During her surprise visit to Kiev, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen brought a gift: a questionnaire. All countries wishing to apply for EU membership must complete it. Other states would take years to do this, Ukrainian head of state Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his most recent video message, “for us it was just over a week.” . A second part is planned for the next few weeks.
War-torn Ukraine is in a hurry to join the EU, which would bring greater security and prosperity in the long run. But how quickly can that happen while other states wait decades to join? And does Ukraine meet the most important requirements? The most important questions and answers..
What criteria must a country meet to be a member of the EU?
Basically, all democratic European countries can run a candidacy – as it does not belong to Europe, Morocco’s candidacy was rejected in the late 1980s. It must respect common values that defend human and minority rights. Its economy must be strong enough to withstand competitive pressures and market forces in the EU. Its institutions must be stable and the rule of law must function. And it must commit to adopting common rules, standards and policies.
Does Ukraine meet these criteria?
The biggest obstacle at the moment: Ukraine is at war – and there can be no serious accession negotiations. Furthermore, Ukraine was once considered one of the most corrupt countries in Europe, with oligarchs influencing politics. The economy is weak, as is the rule of law. Given these poor conditions, Brussels still refused in the autumn to even talk about an offer of membership.
So why the offer to join now?It came mainly from the head of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and it probably has symbolic meaning above all: the EU wants to support Ukraine, give it a hand as much as possible – with money, with weapons, with reconstruction aid. and with the prospect of one day becoming a member of the EU and being removed from the Russian sphere of influence.