Juncker: No quick fixes in EU negotiations with Ukraine
Published: Wednesday, Feb 14th 2024, 06:40
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Former EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker is skeptical about the planned EU accession negotiations with Ukraine. "It was right to respond positively to the application for accession negotiations. However, everyone involved must know that there are preconditions that must be met so that we do not import unresolved internal problems into the EU," he told the "Neue Zürcher Zeitung" (Wednesday). If differentiated membership made the prospect of accession easier, he was not against it in principle. A gradual rapprochement, a kind of almost-membership for Ukraine, would probably be worth considering. "In any case, it would be more realistic than full membership in the next three to five years."
In mid-December, the EU decided to start accession negotiations with the government in Kiev. However, it is likely to be many years before Ukraine actually joins the union. Ukraine has been defending itself against the Russian war of aggression for almost two years. Juncker had said in an interview prior to the EU decision that the country was still far from being ready for accession due to "corruption at all levels of society".
As early as 1997, Ukraine had tried to present him with an application for membership, but he had not accepted it, Juncker continued. Even then, he said, it seemed to him to be completely premature. "We actually knew nothing about Ukraine. I was already allergic to snap decisions back then and I still am now." However, he is of the opinion that there must be an accession perspective for Ukraine today. "However, I am against making promises that cannot be fulfilled within the timeframe Ukraine is aiming for. This would ultimately lead to the country turning away from the EU again in disappointment."
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