EU member states not yet ready to name specific date for Ukraine's accession – Kallas
The enlargement of the European Union is a geopolitical decision, and changes are needed in the process of admitting new members, but EU member states are not yet ready to name a specific date for Ukraine’s accession, as advocated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas said.
The EU really needs to work on this, she said while answering questions at the Munich Security Conference on Sunday, an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent reported. However, she said that she has the feeling that member states are not ready to name a specific date.
Kallas recalled that in addition to Ukraine, Montenegro and Albania have also long remained on the accession waiting list.
The priority and urgent need to move forward and demonstrate that Ukraine is part of Europe exists, the EU’s top diplomat said.
President of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs also agreed that the EU is currently not ready to set an accession date for Ukraine.
He said that when he spoke with many heads of state and government of the European Union, he got the sense that at this stage, there is no readiness to set a date.
In his view, there is a desire to see Ukraine become part of the EU as soon as possible.
The EU has always been very creative when it was truly necessary, and the EU can find a formula that will probably suit us, the Latvian president said.
According to him, within such a decision two additional issues must be resolved: accession of Western Balkan candidate countries that have long been promised membership, as well as Moldova.
Rinkēvičs explained that if we talk about Ukraine, do not forget Moldova as well. If Ukraine joins, the EU cannot exclude Moldova from this. So it is no longer just about Ukraine. It is probably about the largest unifying enlargement, but likely under different rules, he said.
In his opinion, this would require returning to a serious discussion of how the entire EU decision-making governance structure will function.
The Latvian president also stressed that the date of Ukraine’s possible accession to the EU, whether one likes it or not, is currently closely tied to a peace agreement with Russia, whether such an agreement will be reached.
He said he does not see Russia as being ready for an agreement, adding that if Russia does not move toward negotiations, there will be no agreement.
Rinkēvičs believes that Zelenskyy’s appeal to fix a date for EU accession should be heard at a meeting of the European Council.
