European Union Agrees to Start Talks on Ukraine’s Accession: Victory for Ukraine, but Obstacles Remain

2023-12-15 06:20:00

Bruselas (CNN) — European leaders agreed to start talks on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union, in a move that the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, called a “victory,” but the regional group failed to approve a crucial aid package for Kyiv. following Hungary blocked it.

The president of the Council of the European Union, Charles Michel, announced this Thursday that he would “open accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova” and that he had granted candidate status to Georgia.

The move was “a clear sign of hope for its people and for our continent,” Michel tweeted.

Zelensky quickly celebrated the news. “This is a victory for Ukraine. A victory for all of Europe. A victory that motivates, inspires and strengthens,” Zelensky published in X following the announcement. “History is made by those who do not tire of fighting for freedom,” he added.

The European Council’s announcement comes almost two years following the bloc accepted Ukraine as a candidate state, although the country has been seeking entry into the European Union for more than a decade.

It also sends a strong message to Russian President Vladimir Putin following concerns that the West had lost interest in supporting Kyiv.

However, European leaders were unable to approve a multibillion-dollar financial aid package for Ukraine following Hungary was the only country to object, according to Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

European Council President Charles Michel makes a statement to the media on the opening of accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova during an EU summit in Brussels, December 14, 2023. (Credit: Virginia Mayo/AP )

Rutte said it had been agreed that funding talks would resume in early 2024, and that “given the state of the talks, I am quite confident that we can reach a breakthrough early next year.” But he added that that is “not a guarantee.”

Rutte said that of the 27 EU member states, 26 agreed on financing Ukraine, but that “Viktor Orban of Hungary is not yet able to do it. I hope next year.”

“It’s a good result. We still have some time. Ukraine will not run out of money in the next few weeks. So we have that time and I think we can achieve it,” Rutte added.

Orban and his government have always been by far the Kremlin’s closest ally within the European bloc.

According to Archyde.com, the financing agreement amounts to 50 billion euros (US$55 billion).

“We have kept our promises”

This Thursday’s announcement was celebrated by many European leaders, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who wrote in X that “it is clear that these countries belong to the European family.”

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, described the decision as “strategic” and a “day that will be recorded in the history” of the European Union.

“Proud to have kept our promises and delighted for our partners,” she declared.

There was a note of dissent in the accession negotiations, once once more from Hungarian leader Orban, who suggested that his country disagreed with the decision and that it had been made by the other 26 countries in the 27-member bloc.

Earlier this week, Orban stated that Ukraine still has to meet three of the seven conditions necessary to give the green light to accession talks and therefore said there were no current reasons to negotiate Ukraine’s entry into the EU. .

Orban on Thursday described the announcement that Ukraine was starting accession negotiations as a “completely senseless, irrational and incorrect decision,” adding that his country “has not participated in the decision today.”

“Hungary’s position is clear: Ukraine is not ready to start EU accession negotiations,” Orban said in a post on X.

“On the other hand, 26 other countries insisted that a decision be made,” he continued. “Therefore, Hungary decided that if the 26 decide to do so, let them go their own way. Hungary does not want to share this bad decision.”

Obstacles still remain

There are some fundamental obstacles standing in Ukraine’s way of joining the bloc.

Ukraine will not be allowed to skip the process that all countries must go through before joining the EU and, in total, it might still take a decade before Ukraine actually joins the bloc and can enjoy the benefits of full accession.

Ukraine will likely still have to meet the conditions of the Copenhagen Criteria – an opaque trio of requirements that must be met – before moving to the next phase of negotiations.

The criteria focus on whether or not a candidate country has a functioning free market economy, whether the country’s institutions are fit to defend European values ​​such as human rights and the EU’s interpretation of the rule of law, and whether the country has a functioning inclusive democracy.

All of these things are difficult to prove for any country, let alone one currently invaded and in a state of war.

If Ukraine meets the Copenhagen criteria, the EU and Ukrainian officials can begin negotiating the 35 chapters of the acquis communautaire, which set the conditions for accession. All chapters of the negotiations must be completely closed, signed by all EU Member States and ratified by the EU Parliament.

Editor’s note: This article has been updated with information developments.

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