The European Union’s military response to Russia’s aggression, Ukraine’s accession to the EU and economic and humanitarian aid to the affected areas will be the main issues addressed by the sixteen European commissioners traveling to kyiv today for the EU-Summit. Ukraine. A symbolic trip that aims to stage support for Ukraine, close to the first anniversary of the Russian invasion.
Today, the main members of the European Commission executive will meet with their counterparts from the Ukrainian government, while on Friday it will be the turn of the head of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, to talk with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a historic meeting in many ways: it is the first summit since the start of the Russian aggression, the first since the European Commission granted Ukraine candidate status and, above all, it is the first time that the EU holds a congress of these characteristics in an active war zone.
The first item on the agenda is the conditions for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union, and here they come up against a significant misalignment of expectations, since the Ukrainian Prime Minister, Denys Shmyhal, has set himself a 2-year term to formalize the entry of Ukraine into the EU. “We have a very ambitious plan to join the European Union in the next two years,” he told Politico, adding that he wanted to start pre-entry negotiations in 2023.
For Brussels, the accession process has a different rhythm, and as French President Emmanuel Macron declared in May, the procedure “could last years, even decades.” Let them tell the countries of the Eastern Balkans or Turkey, who have been waiting decades for an affirmative answer. The main objection of the EU is that the aspiring countries meet all the conditions demanded by the Commission, among which are political and economic stability, the adoption of EU laws, climatic, social and health standards. But currently Ukraine’s biggest obstacle to winning its seat in the EU is the need to impose strong anti-corruption measures.
Some EU countries of the ex-Soviet orbit, such as Poland and the Baltics, defend Ukraine’s membership in the EU, to consolidate democratic Europe against a potential aggressor. However, the founding countries are more suspicious of the entry into the EU of around 43 million Ukrainian citizens and the shares of power that this represents, which would tip the balance of decisions towards the east.
So far, EU countries have earmarked nearly 60 billion euros in aid to Ukraine, according to Brussels, including nearly 12 billion euros of military support and 18 billion euros pledged to help run the country this year.
In addition to dealing with the expectations of the Ukrainian government, the union leaders will discuss sending more weapons and money to Ukraine, access for Ukrainian products to the EU market, energy aid to Ukraine and new sanctions against Russia. It would not be surprising if Von der Leyen or Michel, eager to set a profile supporting Ukraine, can agree on other measures such as the approval of the free movement of goods for industrial goods, or the creation of a committee to investigate crimes of aggression against Ukraine. .
After two weeks marked by promises to send weapons from the West, the key question for Ukrainians after Friday’s summit will be when the rhetoric will become reality.
