The flexibility for kyiv makes other waiting countries uncomfortable and forces the 27 to explore possible forums of “political community”
BRUSSELS, June 22 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The heads of state and government of the European Union will give this Thursday in Brussels their formal approval to grant Ukraine the status of a candidate for accession to the EU, although they will make it clear that the following steps to complete the process of entering the community club will depend on the country’s “own merits” in fulfilling the reforms that Brussels “assumes” kyiv will complete before contemplating opening negotiations.
The Twenty-seven thus want to give a new political signal of support for Ukraine in the face of the Russian invasion, leaving behind the traditional reservations of partners such as France or Germany to advance in the expansion of the bloc, as a sign of confidence in its European perspective, but also to prevent Moscow from interpreting that the EU “doubts” in its commitment to kyiv, according to European sources.
The latest draft of the conclusions that the leaders plan to adopt this Thursday therefore confirms the line proposed by the Executive of Ursula von der Leyen, who has assured that there will be no “shortcuts” for any of the aspiring countries and warned that the process is “reversible” if the candidate does not advance in the expected direction.
The Brussels proposal, in fact, foresees that at the end of the year the Commission will evaluate the progress before discussing what the next steps are, a task that the leaders place in the annual review of the Enlargement package.
Thus, the Twenty-seven will grant the status of candidate to Ukraine and also to Moldova, but not to Georgia, for whom both the community services and the capitals recognize its European perspective but will wait to give it the status when it has fulfilled the reforms that Brussels has requested in your opinion.
The ‘express’ process that the European Union has launched to process the requests of these three countries in record time after the war led by the Vladimir Putin regime collides with the blockade in the processes opened at different levels with the Balkan countries Westerners.
DISCOMFORT OF OTHER APPLICANTS
This difference in treatment has created unrest among the Balkan neighbors and rarefied the summit that the Twenty-seven and the Western Balkans will hold before the European Council.
It also paves the way for a discussion of French President Emmanuel Macron’s idea of creating a “political community” that allows close relations between allies in Europe even if they are not members of the community bloc, in an attempt to “complete, that not replace” the accession processes, as stressed by Paris.
The opportunity to have alternative forums will also be included in the final document of the summit, although the modalities in which it could be specified, what criteria should be set for its operation, what objectives it would pursue and who it should be open.
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