President Zelensky recently made an emotional appeal to the European Union to accelerate his country’s accession to the EU. In these difficult times for Ukraine, it is difficult for the Union not to respond positively to Zelensky’s plea. However, it is very important that all those involved keep a cool head and make careful decisions.
Ukraine is a European country and has every right to apply for membership. In order to become a full member, it will have to prove that it meets the admission requirements and in that regard the country still has a long way to go. Since 2014, it has made impressive economic reforms, but has yet to catch up on a massive scale in the fight against corruption, the rule of law, an independent judiciary and a professional public administration.
First of all, Ukraine is struggling with endemic corruption, such as investigations by anti-corruption NGOs and Transparency International also in 2021 demonstrate again. A frightening example is the judiciary. The West cannot imagine how bribable even the Supreme Court still is. In addition, large parts of the economy are still in the hands of a few oligarchs. This enables them to obtain all kinds of benefits from the government and to exert influence on politics. It also explains that an effective competition policy is still a long way off.
Historic breakthrough
The Association Agreement concluded by the EU and Ukraine in 2017 was a historic breakthrough in strengthening mutual cooperation in virtually all areas of public policy. But Ukrainian administrators often seemed to forget that the treaty obliges them to act decisively against corruption and to work towards a democratic constitutional state and independent justice.
As early as 2017, Ukrainian NGOs and international experts concluded that little progress had been made in the areas of democratic rule of law, independent judiciary and anti-corruption since the impressive economic reforms between 2014 and 2016. My conclusion it was then that Ukraine could only be kept on the right track with heavy pressure from the Union. President Zelensky has made efforts to take more drastic measures, but many doubt they are sufficient.
It is incredibly hard for me to write such harsh words about Ukraine. Ukraine is a country that I have felt strongly associated with for twenty-five years and that I have continuously supported in its democratic and reform aspirations. All the more so because it is the well-meaning Ukrainian citizens who have been suffering the disastrous effects of corruption and oligarchs for thirty years.
Necessary reforms
Ukrainians have a right to the EU offering them a fair perspective. Expedited membership is unfortunately not an option. The chances are too real that Ukraine will not have implemented all the necessary reforms by the time it formally accedes. As a large Member State, an insufficiently reformed Ukraine poses too great a risk to the proper functioning of the EU. The Union must avoid experiences such as those with Poland, Hungary and Cyprus at all costs.
Therefore, Ukraine will have to go through the normal procedure for obtaining membership. The EU can offer the country perspective in this regard. The Union can increasingly involve Ukraine in its decision-making, without the country gaining influence over decision-making in Councils of Ministers and the European Council. At the same time, the EU should strongly increase its financial support for the necessary reforms in Ukraine. In the fight against corruption and the introduction of an independent judiciary, Brussels should not hesitate to set tough conditions.
All this is without prejudice to the fact that it is a top priority for the EU to continue to provide Ukraine with all the military aid it needs to withstand and push back Russia’s relentless attack.
Willem-Gert Aldershoff is a former head of department of the European Commission and an analyst in international politics.