European Parliament outlines pathway for Ukraine's EU accession despite occupied territories issue

Michael Gahler, the European Parliament's Standing Rapporteur on Ukraine, has said that Ukraine could join the European Union even if parts of its territory remain under occupation, following the precedent of West Germany or Cyprus.

Gahler said in an interview with European Pravda that it is essential to remain realistic, as Ukraine's accession to the EU during wartime would entail the EU's direct involvement in the war – a scenario that requires unanimity and is therefore highly unlikely.

He suggested, however, that the situation would be different if a ceasefire were reached but some territories remained occupied.

"Then we will have a situation somehow similar to West Germany's membership in the EU, despite [the fact that] it did not control East Germany. And after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the German constitution was activated in East Germany and it became part of the EU automatically, as the EU recognised Germany as its member, despite where its borders lie," Gahler said.

Gahler added that there is a comparable example in Cyprus.

"In the moment when a solution is found and Cyprus is reunited, the EU membership and EU laws start to be applied on the whole territory," he pointed out.

He believes the same approach could be applied to Ukraine.

"If there is a point of a ceasefire while not everything is under government control, nothing prevents us from negotiating your accession.

And the subject of negotiations would be the membership of Ukraine, not part of Ukraine. Our counterpart in these negotiations would be the government of the entire Ukraine in its internationally recognised borders. And if not, the entire territory is yet under government control, these parts will join the EU at the moment of their return under government control," Gahler said.

Gahler stressed that the existence of occupied territories should not prevent Ukraine from becoming an EU member.

He also noted that transitional arrangements would allow for the seamless integration of those territories once they are returned under Ukrainian control.

"When Ukraine joins the EU, the transitional period is applied to the part of the country that is under government control [some regulations of the EU joint market are not applied for a specific time period – European Pravda]. And, to put things simply, when other parts of Ukraine join later, there will be similar transitional periods applied," he added.

In the same interview, Gahler implied that accession talks may not open before Hungary's elections in spring 2026, saying that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will not change his mind.

Earlier, Marta Kos, EU Commissioner for Enlargement, announced that Ukraine and the European Union have completed the screening of Ukrainian legislation as part of EU accession negotiations.