And we should not forget that EU leaders now have very limited opportunities to confront Ukraine and not respond to Kyiv's requests.
As there will be very little time between the submission of the withdrawal of the European Commission on Ukraine's EU candidate status and the Council of the EU, the government officials responsible for EU issues are forming positions today, without waiting for the withdrawal, > writes in the article the director of the Center “New Europe” Alyona Hetmanchuk.
What should Ukraine do now?
The expert names the following steps:
– Demonstrate that Ukraine has a vision of EU integration that is not limited demanding candidate status in June and immediate membership talks immediately after June. Such a vision can be readiness for clear step-by-step integration – application, single market, access to four freedoms and then membership. In fact, after applying, move on to the creation of an analogue of the European Economic Area (EEA), which has helped Austria, Sweden and Finland to integrate fairly quickly into the EU. This model can be extended to the countries of the Western Balkans, and thus their issue will be resolved. In addition, the gradual integration provides an opportunity to address the issue of internal reform: the EU will have time to complete it without pressure to demand membership. In other words, Ukraine and the European Union will be reformed at the same time. In other words, the idea of gradual integration immediately strikes at the two main concerns of the EU.
– Thoughtful personal involvement of Volodymyr Zelensky. President Ukraine remains an authoritative voice that cannot be ignored. His conversations with Macron, Rutte and especially Scholz The issue of candidate status should include not only the requirement to provide it to Ukraine in June, but also an explanation of why our country needs it and a vision for the future process of joining the EU. It should be understood that in France, Germany, the Netherlands decisions will be made at the level of these three people , no matter how they appeal to other political players.
– On the basis of concrete examples to demonstrate that Ukraine does not require candidate status “in advance” – it is qualified enough to move to this stage (as opposed to full membership). The example of Turkey, which received the status of a candidate in 1999 with the death penalty at the time, is the most convincing example, but there are other cases related to the implementation of the Association Agreement and successful sectoral integration into the EU. war of Ukrainian power grids to ENTSO-E).
– To convey to European capitals the message that candidate status is not just a political signal , which is undoubtedly very important in times of war. But it is also a practical tool for rebuilding Ukraine after the war and the core on which important reforms will be strung. It is under the “sauce” of reconstruction in countries such as the Netherlands that the idea of candidate status for Ukraine is perceived much better than just a strong political signal to Kyiv. In France, however, there are significant questions about which companies should take part in the reconstruction of Ukraine – European, including French, or Turkish or Chinese.
– Actively work with EU partners to prepare a positive conclusion of the European Commission – without preconditions for application . We need to avoid a situation where the partners will consider Plan B for June ahead of schedule, without exhausting all possibilities to implement Plan A. We must clearly state at all levels – the status of a potential candidate will not be accepted by Ukraine.
– Unprecedented support for Ukraine's European societies and its future membership – an important argument in favor of shifting Ukraine from the neighborhood and partnership rails to the logic of enlargement. However, the polls are mostly about potential membership when Ukraine is ready. It would be appropriate to consider the possibility of a poll on the topic of obtaining Ukraine's candidate status in the EU.
Hetmanchuk emphasizes that The main thing is not to forget: EU leaders currently have very limited opportunities to confront Ukraine and not respond to its requests.
“ Hardly any country in the European Union wants to be accused of blocking Ukraine's European future. At the same time, what many European politicians and diplomats are actually seeing is their confrontation with reality . And the task of Ukraine and its like-minded people is to show that such a confrontation carries more risks than granting Ukraine the status of an EU candidate in June , ”the expert sums up. >
Read also: Key warnings against EU candidate status not directly related to Ukraine – expert
More on “confrontation with reality” and suggestions on how to overcome it by June read in the article Alona Hetmanchuk “ EU candidate status: who and why is ready to refuse Ukraine”.
