“Yes, Ukraine deserves a European perspective and is welcome as a candidate member,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “But there is still a lot of work to be done.”
For Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky, the advice from Brussels is a nice boost, but more importantly, the leaders of France, Germany and Italy already spoke positively about the EU candidacy during a visit to Kiev on Thursday. This will make it even more difficult for other critical countries to exercise a veto.
Eastern European countries in particular are fervent supporters of recognition of Ukraine’s EU aspirations, especially to send a signal to the Kremlin: Ukraine is part of Europe. But many Western European countries are more cautious when it comes to the great haste that Brussels is now making and the years-long process that will now follow. According to experts, Ukraine is not ready for it at all and would probably not have been eligible for candidate membership without the war.
Red carpet
Where von der Leyen previously spoke out of turn by rolling out the red carpet for Ukraine and choked on announcing oil sanctions in a big way, this time the EU leader has taken the sensitivities into account. As far as Brussels is concerned, Ukraine can be granted candidate status, but it still has to do a lot of homework before the real negotiations can start.
von der Leyen said at a press conference that more progress is needed on the rule of law, anti-corruption and minority rights. She praises measures against oligarchs: “But now it is time for results in practice.”
Moldova also receives a positive advice from Brussels on candidate membership, but the country still has to implement a lot of reforms. Georgia is required by the Commission to do homework before it is eligible for a recommendation for EU candidacy.