Media: EU countries sceptical over Ukraine's fast-track accession

Ukraine's efforts to accelerate its accession to the European Union as part of any peace agreement are facing resistance from EU governments.

As reported by Reuters, after speaking with eight European diplomats and officials, the news agency noted that EU governments are reluctant to open what they fear could be a Pandora's box of problems triggered by a rapid accession.

In particular, the governments of EU member states, including France and Germany, have privately expressed scepticism about a proposed reform of the accession process that would shorten Ukraine's path to membership, diplomats say. Many pointed to concerns among EU capitals regarding the idea.

Among their fears is that Ukraine and other countries might not continue reforms – such as anti-corruption efforts – once EU membership has already been granted.

Taras Kachka, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister and chief negotiator with the EU, told Reuters that Kyiv is ready to take member states' concerns into account. He suggested safeguards such as a monitoring mechanism to verify compliance with democratic standards and a transitional period before receiving EU agricultural subsidies.

However, he stressed that a political commitment to a date of accession would be crucial. "This is necessary for the peace process, for the establishing of long-lasting and just peace in Europe," he said.

The current process of accession to the European Union is typically lengthy and bureaucratic, even in straightforward cases, involving years of detailed negotiations and legal reforms to meet the EU's democratic and economic standards.

Diplomats say European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has proposed reforming this process behind closed doors.

Instead of completing all necessary reforms first, a country could join the EU after meeting certain minimum requirements, but with limited access to EU funds and decision-making until it fulfils all membership criteria.

This could facilitate faster accession for Ukraine and other countries such as Moldova, Montenegro and Albania, although Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's target of 1 January 2027 would still be unrealistic, not least because all 27 current EU members have to ratify any accession.

Kachka suggested that Ukraine could at least sign an EU accession treaty next year, even if ratification and other steps take more time.

However, analysts and diplomats say there is scant political will for such far-reaching steps, including Ursula von der Leyen's proposal dubbed "reverse enlargement", which would overhaul the accession framework by enabling a country to join the EU before fulfilling all current requirements.

"The concept of reverse ​enlargement is dead. There is also no support for giving a concrete accession date," one EU diplomat said.

A Western European official noted: "Ukraine is just ​not ready and has rampant ⁠corruption."

On 2 March, Zelenskyy stressed that the EU must provide Ukraine with a concrete accession date if it genuinely wants to see the country join it. His remarks came in response to a statement by von der Leyen, who said that setting a specific accession date for Ukraine is not possible.

In an interview with European Pravda, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said that any decision on the possibility of Ukraine's accelerated accession to the EU will be taken by the member states.