Brussels – Ukraine’s dream of joining the European Union seems to be getting closer. After the first intergovernmental conference in June 2024, the examination of the country’s requirements is proceeding smoothly. If Ukraine manages to meet all the conditions, it will be possible to start opening negotiations as soon as possible.
Ukraine is one of nine candidate countries for EU membership. After the Russian aggression, the country applied for EU membership, and in the summer of 2022, the European Commission recommended candidate status, to which the EU Council gave its unanimous approval. Then, in November 2023, the opening of negotiations followed.
To assess candidates’ status and progress, the Commission prepares the EU Enlargement Package each year. Concretely, in today’s (Oct. 30) presentation, Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi has explained how this provides “a concrete and fair assessment of our partners’ progress, along with a clear guide, enabling them to identify where accelerating reforms can guide their progress towards EU membership.”
The EU is the first to commit itself to facilitating candidate membership. The Ukrainian case is sui generis because European economic support has come from the conflict against Russia, with a total amount of about €122 billion “in support of Ukraine and its citizens.” This economic commitment is coupled with unwavering support for “the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, within its internationally recognized borders.” One of the packages, for example, is the Ukraine facility, which covers up to €50 billion and aims to support the country on three key pillars relating to the state budget, a functional investment framework for the country’s recovery and reconstruction, and technical assistance to enable reforms to be implemented.
Any country aspiring to join the EU must achieve the so-called Community acquis, the set of rights and obligations that are the basis of EU law and must be accepted and integrated into national laws by the entering countries.
Analyzing the report on the Ukrainian situation, the general alignment with the recommendations previously received by the Commission bodes well. Concerning democracy, on which the country has made progress, it is recorded that “the main institutional structures for integration into the EU have been established,” laying the groundwork for the future. Reforms to have full guarantees of human rights, such as the implementation of the Istanbul Convention on combating violence against women, are lacking, although it is reported that the country has made good progress. Likewise, the Commission recorded that many elements are still missing in the fight against corruption, judicial independence and the protection of freedom of expression.
For the economy, the road ahead is good, but Ukraine is paying the price for two years of war on its territory. In general, the functioning of the domestic economy is progressing, but competitiveness, on which the country has the resources to make little progress, is paying the price. Similarly, there are no significant improvements in financial control. No green light for the internal market, on which Ukraine has generally failed to implement previous Commission recommendations. Of the four basic freedoms of movement—regarding capital, goods, services, and workers—the first three show some development, while the workers see no progress.
The best performance is on security and defence, for which there is a “high level of alignment” with the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy and a significant strengthening of military cooperation with the EU. The country is expected to continue to share European positions towards Russia, and the “plan for victory” presented by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could contribute to these points.
The conflict that has raged for two years on the country’s territory has impacted the refinement of other macro-environments, such as agriculture, transportation, or green transition. Despite this, Ukraine has a “good level of preparedness” in the energy field and legislative commitments have been made on renewable energy. Energy has been a major sore point of the war in Ukraine. However, there are now rumours of agreements with Russia to limit attacks on energy facilities, which have been damaged enough to undermine the security of supply.
“Ukrainians are fighting two battles simultaneously,” said High Representative Joseph Borrell, “one on the battlefield, a real war, and the second to carry out the reforms necessary to become a member state.” European support, as recalled, is on all fronts since “EU membership is the maximum security guarantee we can offer Ukraine,” as Borrell reminds us. Therefore, Ukraine’s entry is desirable as a political signal, strategic choice, and contribution to the defence of the EU as a whole.
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
