Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has previously said his country deserves to start talks to join the bloc this year, after the European Union agreed to grant Kiev “candidate” status, beginning a process that could take years to distance the belligerent country from Russian influence and bind it more closely to the West.
Ukraine applied for European Union membership less than a week after the start of the Russian military operation on February 24, 2022, and tackling government corruption and enacting other reforms was a top priority. .
Kiev has implemented the required reforms by appointing a new head of its National Anti-Corruption Bureau.
But some of the 27 EU countries question Kiev’s ability to recover from war or implement the democratic and anti-corruption reforms needed to qualify for membership in the short term.
Watch Terms
In turn, a spokesman for the European Union, Luis Miguel Bueno, revealed, in statements exclusive to ‘Sky News Arabia’, to what extent Ukraine meets the necessary conditions, stating:
- After granting Ukraine the status of candidate for EU membership in 2022, the Council of the European Union regularly monitors compliance with the conditions specified in the European Commission’s opinion on the application for EU membership. membership.
- These terms are included in reforms related to the judiciary, rule of law, anti-money laundering, markets and other reforms.
- At the extraordinary meeting of the European Council in February 2023, EU leaders recognized the considerable efforts made by Ukraine to fulfill these conditions, and the Council will decide to take further action once all these conditions are met. fully fulfilled.
Let’s not forget that this is the first time in the history of the European Union that a candidate country has faced continuous armed aggression against it.
In the meantime, the European Union will continue to provide political, economic, financial and military support to Ukraine. The total aid provided by the European Union and its Member States has reached €67 billion, and we are determined to continue on this path.
As the President of the European Commission said, the future of Ukraine is in the European family.
Copenhagen standards
The European Union requires compliance with a number of conditions and regulations under which the application for membership is approved. According to the bloc’s website, it must meet the “Copenhagen criteria” which were approved by the European Council in 1993, and include a free market economy, stable democracy and the rule of law, respect and protection of minorities and acceptance of all EU legislation, including the euro.
In addition, the candidate country must have a functioning market economy and the ability to cope with competition and market forces in the European Union, with the ability to assume and implement effectively the obligations of membership, including compliance with the policy objectives, economic and monetary union.
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