EU considers limited integration to Kiev, replacing fast accession

Moscow (ANTARA) - European Union countries have rejected plans to accelerate Ukraine’s accession to the European Union, according to the Politico newspaper on Thursday, citing four European diplomats.

Nevertheless, they are considering gradually granting access to certain European institutions to Kiev.

European Union member states have stated that Ukraine’s entry into the bloc in the near future “would be very difficult,” the newspaper reported.

At the same time, they are reportedly seeking alternative formats for approaching Kiev.

In particular, European Union officials are considering what is called “accelerated gradual integration” for Ukraine, which would involve phased access to certain segments of the market, funding mechanisms, and political institutions of the bloc.

Lithuania has proposed granting “pre-accession country” status to Kiev, according to Politico.

Last week, the Le Monde newspaper reported that European leaders are not prepared to make concessions to Ukraine to facilitate and accelerate the country’s accession process to the European Union, amid a lack of unanimous support for its membership.

In June 2022, the European Union granted candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova, setting several conditions for starting accession negotiations.

In June 2024, the first European Union-Ukraine and European Union-Moldova intergovernmental conferences were held in Luxembourg, marking the official start of European Union accession negotiations.

Obtaining candidate status and starting negotiations does not guarantee European Union membership.

Turkey has been a candidate since 1999, North Macedonia since 2005, Montenegro since 2010, and Serbia since 2012. Croatia, the last country to join the European Union, did so in 2013 after a 10-year process.