Kiev sent to Brussels the first piece of a questionnaire about potential members.
Ukraine has completed the first part of a questionnaire for EU membership, less than a week after receiving it from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the country’s European integration minister, Olga Stefanishyna, announced on Monday. Von der Leyen has promised to hasten Ukraine’s accession to the bloc, but some of its 27 members are hesitant.
“The 1st part of the questionnaire for EU membership has been sent to the European Commission,”Stefanishyna shared her thoughts on Twitter. “As was promised by President Zelensky, Ukraine completed the document in one week! Have already started working on the 2nd part.”
While on his visit to Kiev, Von der Leyen handed the questionnaire to Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukrainian president. The first step towards a country becoming a candidate is to complete the questionnaire. A decision about a country’s candidate status can take many years and requires an investigation by European Commission as well as the consent of all EU members.
Zelensky was assured by von der Leyen that the process would go according to plan. “will not, as usual, be a matter of years to form this opinion but I think a matter of weeks.”
It can take many years to grant membership once you are a candidate. Turkey has been a candidate nation since 1999.
The EU’s 27 member states are divided on how to handle Ukraine’s application for membership. Bulgarian, Slovenian, Estonian, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland have all called one another. “the EU institutions to conduct steps to immediately grant Ukraine a EU candidate country status and open the process of negotiations.”
Last month, however, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warned that “Joining the EU is not something that can be done in a few months … it involves an intensive and far-reaching transformation process,” and the Dutch foreign trade minister, Liesje Schreinemacher, told the country’s parliament last week that membership is a “long and technical process,”There are many. “no diversions or shortcuts”It is surrounded by it.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has also cautioned that expediting Ukraine’s membership could be seen as unfair by long-term candidates like Turkey and Montenegro.
In assessing a country’s bid for membership, the European Commission evaluates everything from its economic performance to its legal system to environmental regulations and agricultural practices.
Countries with high levels of corruption also get a negative view from the EU. With Ukraine often ranked as the most corrupt country in Europe and one of the most corrupt in the world, Zelensky’s government would have to implement significant reforms to be considered an EU candidate under normal circumstances.
Furthermore, were Ukraine to join while still at war, the EU would become party to the conflict with Russia, as set out under the ‘Mutual Defense Clause’ of the Lisbon Treaty.
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