Main risk of potential alternatives has been eliminated - Kachka on Merz's 'associated membership' proposal
Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Taras Kachka said that the letter from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz regarding the idea of "associated membership" for Ukraine in the European Union emphasizes Ukraine’s full membership in the EU and calls for the immediate opening of all negotiating clusters.
"The issue of the letter sent by Chancellor Merz to the European Union institutions is complex. The most important point in this letter is the emphasis on Ukraine’s full membership in the European Union and the call for the immediate and urgent opening of all negotiating clusters. For us, this is the most important goal today," Kachka said at a press briefing in Kyiv on Friday, responding to a question from the Interfax-Ukraine agency regarding Ukraine’s position on the proposal to grant the country a new special status of "associated member."
According to him, the letter contains a very clear emphasis that all ideas set out in it are aimed at helping Ukraine integrate faster and fully join the European Union in various formats.
"Therefore, the main risk that this is about some potential alternatives has been eliminated. Regarding the name itself and the content of the proposals, I think they all require discussion and coordination. This is the first proposal; we were discussing these ideas in Berlin on Monday. So, if a discussion starts among EU member states on how to speed up Ukraine’s accession to the EU and accelerate integration, we will welcome such a discussion. The main thing is that the sole goal of all initiatives is Ukraine’s full membership in the EU," the Deputy Prime Minister added.
As reported, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz wrote a letter to EU leaders proposing a new special status for Ukraine as an "associated member" of the Union. Under this status, Ukraine would not initially receive full membership and voting rights but would be more closely integrated into EU institutions. Merz justified his initiative by Ukraine’s special position as a country at war and its significant progress in accession negotiations. The proposal also aims to facilitate peace negotiations initiated by US President Donald Trump, including through a political commitment by member states to extend the EU’s mutual assistance clause to Ukraine.
Specifically, Merz proposes granting Ukraine the right to apply Article 42.7 on mutual assistance and defense to provide broad security guarantees, gradual integration into the EU budget, a seat in the European Court of Justice as an "assistant rapporteur," participation in meetings of the Council of the EU and the European Council with the right to speak, as well as participation without voting rights in the European Commission and the European Parliament. At the same time, he recommends providing for the reduction of membership if Ukraine regresses in the accession process or in "fundamental EU values."
Similarly, according to him, the Western Balkan countries and Moldova should receive further signals regarding accession; however, unlike Ukraine, Merz proposes developing separate rapid entry plans for these countries.
The European Commission received Merz’s proposals and stated that Ukraine’s accession to the EU is fundamentally linked to the security of the Union.
