EU enlargement commissioner on Ukraine's accession to EU: Ukraine is not stuck
European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos has said that Ukraine's accession process to the European Union has not reached a dead end.
Speaking during a panel discussion at a special YES meeting organised by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation to mark the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion, Kos addressed the issue of Ukraine's EU membership.
"First, Ukraine is not stuck. We are innovative and very much thinking out of the box in the times when there is no box," she said.
Meanwhile, the commissioner acknowledged that the main question now is when membership will take place. She reiterated that the current enlargement methodology "is made for peace times, for the times when the candidates really have enough time to do all the reforms".
"And simply said, we don't have this time today. Because, you know, I love to [say] that enlargement is much more than enlargement, today. Enlargement still is the most successful foreign policy of the European Union, but we have been … stuck in the past because it has not been the priority," she said.
Kos stressed that the EU is preparing a new approach to this methodology that would allow not only Ukraine, but also some other countries, to integrate earlier.
Taras Kachka, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, said in turn that the EU needs Ukraine so that it remains capable of defending itself, stays sovereign and acts as a global player.
"Ukraine is not looking for any shortcuts. We approach this extremely seriously. It may not look loud or spectacular – not for a beautiful picture – but this is real work. In the field of the rule of law, in the fight against corruption – all our institutions are functioning. The question is to maintain and improve these achievements," he added.
Earlier, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that agreements on a swift EU accession are realistic. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has also stated that an agreement on a date for Ukraine's EU membership is possible.
A recent poll showed that support among Ukrainians for EU accession has risen sharply.