Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on the European Union on Tuesday 1 March to grant his country candidate status and an accelerated accession procedure.
The day before, he had signed the official application for his country to become a candidate for EU membership, submitted by his ambassador to the EU to the French Presidency of the EU Council.
“I would like to hear you say that this Ukrainian choice of Europe is also yours”, the Ukrainian president pleaded in a remote speech to the European Parliament, in the presence of the presidents of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. “We are also fighting to be equal members of Europe. I think that today we are showing everyone that we are (and) with us, the European Union will definitely be stronger. Without you, Ukraine will be lonesome”, he explained. Then he added, before receiving a long applause: “Prove that you are with us, prove that you will not let us go, prove that you are truly Europeans”.
“In these dark hours, we need you in our aspirations towards Europe”, added the President of the Verhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk. “Ukrainians are dying today, for the EU, for the future of our European home, there will be no peace in Europe without Ukraine. No Europe in its entirety without Ukraine”, he recalled.
Broad support from the European Parliament
This request for candidate status was widely supported by the European Parliament, which has no power over whether or not to grant this status, as the decision rests with the EU Council acting unanimously.
In the resolution they adopted on Ukraine (see other news) by 637 votes in favour, 13 against and 26 abstentions, MEPs overwhelmingly adopted the reference to the possibility of granting Ukraine candidate status to the Union, in accordance with Article 49 of the EU Treaty and on the basis of its merits. The majority of the ID and The Left groups voted against, while The Left proposed an amendment on this point which was not adopted.
In the debate following Mr Zelensky’s speech, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola acknowledged Ukraine’s “European perspective”. “We will and must face the future together”, she promised.
“Ukrainians signed the application for EU membership in their blood. European Ukraine must and will be in our family, in the EU family”, added Rasa Juknevičienė (EPP, Lithuania).
While he too supported the granting of candidate status, Stéphane Séjourné (Renew Europe, France) acknowledged that “Ukraine will not join the EU before some years, with a rigorous process”. “But it is important to recognise that, through the blood shed in the name of freedom and democracy, they are already members of our community. Candidate status, in this sense, is a fair recognition”, he said.
Caution from the Commission
The President of the European Commission was cautious. While saying that “the EU and Ukraine are already closer than ever” and “a people that stands up so bravely for our European values belongs in our European family”, Ms von der Leyen warned that “there is still a long path ahead”. “We have to end this war. And we should talk about the next steps”, she said.
EU Council divided
Mr Michel was also very cautious. Faced with the Ukrainian request, “it will be up to us Europeans to rise to the occasion”, he said, while acknowledging that there were “different opinions within the EU (on enlargement, editor’s note), which can sometimes be nuanced on this subject”.
In a joint statement issued on 28 February, the Presidents of Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Hungary expressed their “firm conviction” that Ukraine deserves an “immediate” prospect of EU membership. “Therefore, we call on the EU Member States to consolidate the greatest possible political support for Ukraine and to allow the EU institutions to take steps to immediately grant Ukraine the status of an EU candidate country and open the negotiation process”, they added.
A French source was more cautious. “Imagine tomorrow that Ukraine is conquered by Russia. We may have offered EU membership, but I don't see how we can complete an accession process”, the source explained, recalling that this was a context where everything could change very suddenly. And according to this source, if Ukraine resists Russia, the immediate challenge will be to strengthen Ukraine’s ability to enforce its sovereignty, defend itself, resist Russian pressure, etc.
Mr Michel reiterated that it was up to the Commission to issue an opinion from which the Council “will not escape its responsibilities”. “The EU Council will have to seriously analyse the symbolic, political, strong and, I believe, legitimate demand that has been expressed. It will then be necessary to give direction and to make the choice that will be the right choice, with composure, with determination, in the face of this request”, he promised. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)