25 June 2024

Fondation Robert Schuman's Kuleba: Ukraine's EU accession brings added value and serves historical justice

Now that Ukraine's EU accession process has begun, it is critical to discuss the broader historical significance of EU enlargement as well as some very practical benefits that Ukraine's membership will bring to Europe[1].

The European Council's decision on 14 December 2023 to open EU accession talks with Ukraine was a watershed moment. What follows is a steady but predictable path of 35 rounds of negotiations on the accession agreement chapters. Our minimum plan for the first half of 2024 is to complete the legislation screening, agree on the negotiations framework, and hold the first intergovernmental conference to kick off the first round of actual talks.

We are realists who understand that the negotiation process will require a lot of work—and some compromise, particularly with our neighbours—but Ukraine has demonstrated in the last two years that there is nothing impossible for it when it comes to pursuing the goal of EU membership.

Furthermore, it was Ukraine that took the EU out of its enlargement coma. I recall how, even two years ago, the term "enlargement" was taboo in Brussels and many other capitals. The Western Balkan aspirants have been stuck in limbo for years, partially due to their own lack of progress but also due to the unwillingness of the EU to expand its influence.

During that time, the Ukrainian government struggled to include terms like "European perspective" in various Ukraine-EU summit communiqués. Such was the fear of enlargement among our European colleagues.
24 February 2022 changed everything. With Russia launching the largest war of aggression in Europe since WWII, it became clear that grey zones and inaction were no longer an option.  It was a sink or swim moment for both Ukraine and the rest of Europe. That was when Ukraine submitted its application to become an EU member and our European allies reciprocated this ambition first by granting Ukraine EU candidate status in June 2022 and then launching EU accession negotiations in December 2023.

It is fair to say that nothing was easy along this path.  Even a few days before the June and December decisions, the outcome was not certain. Sceptics continued to reject the need for both steps. But, with the help of our friends and supporters, we were able to persuade them—or at least make them abstain in one particular case—that this is the way forward.

It is also worth noting that Ukraine has properly and thoroughly completed all of the steps outlined by the European Commission to ensure critical decisions.

I believe this outstanding achievement deserves recognition. Ukraine made history by being the first country to go from applying for membership to beginning accession talks in less than two years. This is nearly twice as fast as the previous record-holder, Estonia, which took three years to complete the task (1995-1998). Hungary required four years, Latvia and Lithuania five years, and Cyprus eight years. Needless to say, none of these countries had to fight a total war while implementing their reforms.

To some extent, the war has stimulated brave domestic reforms. When President Zelenskyy pressed members of parliament or the government to pass this or that critical decision, they could not say no because the state's very survival was at stake. Most importantly, these reforms are critical for Ukraine, and we did not implement them solely for the purpose of EU membership.

The President has shown remarkable mettle in galvanizing not only the world’s attention but also Ukraine’s own domestic forces on the path of reform and fight against corruption. Thus, the EU Commission issued a positive and merit-based assessment in November 2023, acknowledging progress and approving the start of accession talks with Ukraine.

As with many other developments over the past two years, what happens in Ukraine is not only about itself. Our country’s struggle for freedom and unity has awakened the sleeping EU giant. Nobody could have predicted that the European Union would take such decisive action in the face of Russian aggression. Many historic and unprecedented decisions were made regarding sanctions and military aid to Ukraine, but most importantly, the EU rediscovered its global ambition and role.

Ukraine acted as a true European integration locomotive for Moldova, Georgia, and the Western Balkan countries, as well as a catalyst for the historic process of the European Union expanding to Europe's natural political borders....

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