Politico: EU "scuttles" the idea of Ukraine's "accession in advance"
Most EU countries did not support the idea of "accession in advance" or "reverse enlargement", which was proposed within the European Commission for Ukraine.
As reported by Politico, at a dinner of EU ambassadors in Brussels, they reportedly told the team of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that their capitals were not ready to support the revolutionary idea of "reverse enlargement" – meaning the rapid admission of Ukraine to the EU.
Earlier, "several key capitals", which were not named, coordinated a rather tough position on the issue.
It should be recalled that the discussion concerns the unprecedented idea of "accession in advance" for Ukraine, which would ensure partial EU membership as early as 2027 – while not implying any easing of requirements on fundamental principles.
One of the diplomats present at the meeting described the atmosphere at the dinner as "normal" but noted that the signal from the capitals of the member states was unequivocal.
"It's done. Reverse enlargement isn't going anywhere," the diplomat said.
Four other diplomats also firmly rejected the idea that "reverse enlargement" could be viable for Ukraine or for any other candidate country.
"They have created false hopes. Now, we have to correct that and tell them: 'Well, actually, this reverse enlargement is dead on arrival'," the diplomat added.
"We want to anchor Ukraine in the EU … but we cannot tear up our procedures and scrap the merit-based system. The point is to find a realistic way forward," another diplomat said.
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