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Dec 15, 2023 · That’s a big boost for war-ravaged Ukraine and a loud message to Vladimir Putin — but it could be years before the country actually becomes a member of the EU. Here’s a look at what Thursday’s decision means, and why joining the EU is especially important, and especially hard, for Ukraine.
Jun 24, 2022 · Ukraine has become an official candidate for European Union (EU) membership, the first step to joining the organisation. The process could take years to complete and there is no...
News about European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, Ukraine
News about EU, Ukraine, Hungary
Also in the news
- What Does EU Candidate Status Mean?
- What Reforms Are Required to Qualify For Membership?
- Does Ukraine’s Invitation Complicate Other Accession Efforts?
- Is There Any Precedent For Accepting A State with Occupied Territory?
- How Could Ukraine’s Accession Process Influence The Conflict with Russia?
Prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, there were five EU candidate countries: Turkey (since 1999), North Macedonia (since 2005), Montenegro (since 2010), Serbia (since 2012), and Albania (since 2014). In theory, any candidate can immediately start formal accession negotiations; in practice, there is no guarantee that will happen quickly. In the ca...
Accession to the EU requires meeting the “Copenhagen criteria,” which are based on three pillars. One is political and includes respect for democracy, the rule of law, and human rights. A second is economic and requires the prospective member to have a functioning market economy. The third is administrative and institutional and entails the incorpo...
It could rankle some aspirant countries, especially in the Western Balkans. Bosnia and Herzegovina applied in 2016 but has yet to receive candidate status. Kosovo’s aspirations are complicated by the fact that it is not a member of the United Nations due to Russia’s veto on the Security Council. And earlier this month, the EU failed to launch acces...
The EU set a precedent for admitting a country with unsettled borders with Cyprus in May 2004. For decades, the island has been divided by Turkey’s occupation of northern Cyprus. At the insistence of Greece, Cyprus was included in the EU’s biggest wave of enlargement, which also included the three Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania), ...
It is hard to tell how Putin will react to future steps in the process. He has made clear in the past that his main opposition is to Ukraine’s aspirations for membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) rather than in the EU. Similarly, he has no trouble with Finland’s or Sweden’s EU membership but sees their NATO applications as a ...
- Matthias Matthijs
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, there were additional calls to start a formal accession process: Ukraine reiterated its desire to become a member of the union, and European Commission president von der Leyen stated that Ukraine belongs in the European Union.
Dec 14, 2023 · The European Union decided Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023 to open accession negotiations with Ukraine, a stunning reversal for a country at war that had struggled to find the necessary backing for...
The Commission presented its Opinion on the application in June 2022, and Ukraine was granted EU candidate status by all EU Member States that same month. In Ukraine, this created a powerful reform dynamic despite the ongoing war, with strong support from the people of Ukraine.
Dec 14, 2023 · If Ukraine became an EU member while the war with Russia was ongoing, EU countries would have to respect that. The EU would also acquire a long new border with Russia and Belarus, with ...
