A precedent of all precedents: This country is the next to join the EU

As they say, Ukraine must be viewed in the EU integration process as a specific case, similar to how former USSR states were to some extent, or Romania and Bulgaria at the beginning of this century.

In the context of Ukraine’s accession to the EU, the European Commissioner for Enlargement stated, among other things, that “EU enlargement is no longer exclusively a matter of relations with candidate countries, but also of the EU’s internal capacity to respond to the challenges of the contemporary moment.”

As a result, a public debate immediately began in the region over whether this was a message to the Western Balkans that they would lose priority in the EU integration process.

Aleksandar Popov, director of the Center for Regionalism, told Blic that Marta Kos’s statement has nothing to do with the Western Balkans, but rather with the specific situation Ukraine finds itself in.

“Similarly, in 2003 the EU decided that former USSR members, and later Romania and Bulgaria, would become members even though they did not meet the conditions. Ukraine’s accession to the EU is a purely political issue. In Brussels, they want to give Ukraine hope, and EU membership could also be part of the negotiation process and a peace agreement. This would also be accompanied by a promise that Ukraine would have NATO protection,” Popov assessed.

He added that Ukraine’s accession to the EU would certainly represent a kind of precedent.

“Ukraine is in the middle of a war and democracy there cannot be measured in the same way as, for example, the level of democracy in Western Balkan countries that have not been at war for 30 years. Ukraine is therefore a specific case in the current geopolitical situation. Any potential accession of Ukraine to the EU would be part of a peace agreement, but there will still be many discussions and maneuvers on this topic,” Popov analyzed.

Kos: It’s not only about attracting candidates, but also about us

EPA-EFE/DUMITRU DORU

Kos told Politico that “it’s not just about attracting candidates.”

“It’s also about us: can we cope with the challenges? Is it beneficial for our security? Are we filling the gaps we left in the past? Yes. Do we need Ukraine in the EU? Yes,” Marta Kos said.

She pointed out that over the next 12 months, the European Union will have to “make concrete and substantive decisions in order to speed up the process of admitting new member states and to secure it institutionally.”

As she stated, the coming period will be crucial for defining the future of the enlargement policy.