in-cyprus 14 December 2023
European Union leaders are debating at their Dec. 14-15 summit whether to start accession talks with EU candidate Ukraine, with Hungary the sole opponent in the 27-member bloc.
The decision to open negotiations would be mainly political, since actual talks can only start after the adoption of a negotiating framework establishing guidelines and principles for the talks, also to be agreed unanimously.
The accession talks themselves could take a decade or longer.
Also hoping to start accession talks are Moldova and Bosnia though neither have yet met all the necessary criteria. Georgia is hoping to be granted formal candidate status at the summit.
Below is a list of countries hoping to one day become members of the EU, and their formal status:
CANDIDATE COUNTRY STATUS
TURKEY (candidate since 1999). While still officially a candidate country, Turkey saw its accession talks freeze many years ago, largely over human rights and governance concerns. EU entry for Turkey, a country of 85 million people, is currently not part of the political debate.
NORTH MACEDONIA (candidate since 2005). It has been on a path to the EU since 2003 and has had a Stabilisation and Association Agreement – an individually tailored framework for relations – since 2004. It was given the green light for accession talks in 2020 after changing its name from Macedonia to North Macedonia to satisfy Greek sensitivities. But talks have yet to begin in earnest, due to objections from neighbouring Bulgaria over history and language.
MONTENEGRO (candidate since 2010). The small Adriatic country applied for EU membership in 2008. Accession talks began in 2012 and since then 33 chapters of negotiations – areas in which the candidate needs to emulate EU laws – have been opened and three of those have been provisionally completed.
SERBIA (candidate since 2012). The largest West Balkan nation was identified as a potential candidate in 2003 and has had a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the EU since 2013. Accession talks began in 2014 and by now 22 out of a total of 35 chapters of negotiations have been opened and two completed.
ALBANIA (candidate since 2014). Another West Balkan country, it was identified as a potential candidate in 2003 and applied in 2009 to become an EU member. Albania obtained candidate status in 2014. Accession talks formally began in 2022 after Albania met conditions on changes to the judiciary, fighting corruption and organised crime, intelligence services and public administration. But its talks have yet to begin in earnest as the EU has coupled Albania’s membership bid to that of North Macedonia, effectively meaning both are held up by Bulgaria.
MOLDOVA (candidate since 2022). The EU has had an association deal with Moldova, including a deep and comprehensive free trade area, since 2016. To progress to the start of accession talks, the European Commission asked Moldova to reform its judiciary, curb graft and organised crime, get rid of oligarchs, reform public administration and finances, involve civil society and boost the protection of human rights.
UKRAINE (candidate since 2022). Ukraine applied for EU membership several days after it was invaded by Russia in February 2022, and was granted candidate status in June that year. EU-Ukraine relations go back almost 30 years – the EU signed a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement with Ukraine in 1994 and it entered into force in 1998.
In 2004 Ukraine became an EU priority partner after the “Orange Revolution” against electoral fraud and corruption signalled it was on a path towards integration with the EU.
In 2014, pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych refused to sign an association and trade agreement with the EU, sparking the popular Maidan Revolution, which was followed by Russia’s annexation of Crimea. The association and trade deal with the EU came into force in 2017.
Ukraine has stepped up its quest for an EU membership path since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA (candidate since 2022). Bosnia was identified as a potential candidate in 2003 and has had a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the EU since 2015. It applied for EU membership in 2016. To start accession talks Bosnia must implement 14 priorities set by the Commission in 2019 which focus on democracy and functionality of the state, rule of law, fundamental rights and public administration reform.
AWAITING CANDIDATE COUNTRY STATUS
GEORGIA (applied for EU membership in 2022). EU governments said they would grant Georgia candidate status once Tbilisi addresses certain concerns, especially on the rule of law, the independence of courts and media freedom. Since 2016, the EU and Georgia have had an association deal that covers trade.
KOSOVO (applied for EU membership in 2022). Brussels has held out the prospect of an EU perspective for Kosovo since 2005, even before the country’s declaration of independence from Serbia in 2008. But not all EU countries recognise Kosovo as an independent state. Since 2016, the EU has had a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with Kosovo that serves as a basis for its accession path.
(Reuters)
Update 15 December
European Union leaders agreed to open membership talks with Ukraine even as it continues to fight Russia’s invasion, but they could not agree on a 50 billion euro package of financial aid for Kyiv due to opposition from Hungary.
At a summit in Brussels, other leaders bypassed objections from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban by getting him to leave the room while they took the historic step of agreeing to start accession negotiations with a country at war.
But they could not overcome resistance from Orban – who maintains close ties to Russia – to a revamp of the bloc’s budget to channel vital financial support to Ukraine and provide more cash for other EU priorities such as managing migration.
They ended talks on the financial package, which requires unanimity of the 27 EU leaders, in the early hours of Friday morning and said they would try again in January, with some voicing optimism a deal could be clinched then.
Officials said leaders of 26 of the EU’s 27 member countries were satisfied with a compromise budget proposal put forward by summit chairman Charles Michel.
“We still have some time, Ukraine is not out of money in the next few weeks,” Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told reporters on leaving the talks. “I am fairly confident we can get a deal early next year, we are thinking of late January,” said Rutte.
Orban has argued Ukraine should not get such large amounts of money from the EU budget as it is not part of the bloc. Other leaders have assured Kyiv they channel aid to Ukraine outside the EU budget if Budapest maintains its blockade.
The news on the financing struck a bittersweet note for Ukraine, coming just hours after leaders agreed to open membership talks.
Although membership would likely be many years away, the decision at a summit in Brussels takes Ukraine a step closer to its long-term strategic goal of anchoring itself in the West and liberating itself from Moscow’s orbit.
The move came at a critical time for Ukraine, after its counter-offensive against Russian forces has failed to make major gains and with U.S. President Joe Biden so far unable to get a $60 billion package for Kyiv through the U.S. Congress.
“This is a victory for Ukraine. A victory for all of Europe. A victory that motivates, inspires, and strengthens,” declared Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
“I congratulate every Ukrainian on this day … History is made by those who don’t get tired of fighting for freedom.”
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz played a key role in getting Orban to leave the room to clear the way for a decision, diplomats and officials said. Scholz said the decision was “a strong sign of support” for Ukraine.
The leaders also agreed to accession talks with another former Soviet republic, Moldova, and to grant another, Georgia, the status of membership candidate.
“It is clear that these countries belong to the European family,” Scholz said on social media platform X. The leaders said they would also start membership talks with Bosnia once it has undertaken certain political reforms.
ORBAN’S OBJECTIONS
Orban had cited corruption and other issues in arguing Ukraine was not ready for EU talks but EU diplomats suspected he was using the issue as a bargaining chip to try to unlock EU funds frozen over concerns about the rule of law in Hungary.
On Wednesday, the European Commission – the EU’s executive body – restored Hungary’s access to up to 10.2 billion euros in refunds for economic projects after finding it had fulfilled conditions on the independence of its judiciary.
Orban stood by his objections to membership talks for Ukraine even after the decision was taken.
“Hungary’s stance is clear, Ukraine is not prepared for us to start talks on EU membership,” he said, calling the decision to start talks “irrational” and “inappropriate.”
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, reflecting frustration with Orban, said it was time for the Hungarian to pipe down. “If you are part of the decision, you agree with the decision, or afterwards you just have to keep your mouth shut,” he said.
In the midst of war, geographically bigger than any EU member and with a population of 44 million, Ukraine presents some unique challenges for admission to the 27-member bloc.
But membership talks will likely take years and will not start immediately. First, the EU will have to agree to a negotiating framework for the talks – which will require another unanimous decision.
The leaders said they would take this step once Ukraine meets outstanding requirements on democracy and the rule of law.
(Reuters)
