Ukraine expects EU-wide support for candidacy to join bloc, claims top envoy

On the 120th day of the ravaging Moscow-Kyiv conflict in Eastern Europe, a Ukrainian official who is supervising embattled Ukraine's efforts to join the European Union said on Wednesday that she is "100%" convinced that all 27 EU countries would support the war-torn nation's EU candidacy at a summit this week. During an interview with The Associated Press, Olha Stefanishyna, the deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, stated that the decision may be made as early as Thursday, June 23, when the leaders' summit would begin. 

Stefanishyna further noted that the Netherlands, Sweden, as well as Denmark were sceptical about starting EU accession talks with Ukraine, however, they are now in favour. When questioned how certain she is that Ukraine will be recognised as an EU candidate, she responded, “The day before the summit starts, I can say 100%.”  

Apart from the Ukrainian official, similar confidence has been shown by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who described it as a "crucial moment" for his country. According to the Associated Press report, the main priority for EU leaders gathering in Brussels is Ukraine's application for membership. 

Following the trips of the top leaders from France, Italy, and Germany to Ukraine and after their "first-hand" observations of Russia's brutal activities, it appears that the EU countries have decided to grant Kyiv EU membership, as per media reports. EU ministers have even supported granting Ukraine "candidate status" during a senior EU ministers meeting on Tuesday. 

According to Clement Beaune, France's EU minister, almost all of the Union's 27 current members have indicated support for introducing Ukraine to the bloc. The official announcement will be made this week during the subsequent EU Summit, he continued. 

'Ukraine has already adopted roughly 70% of EU laws'

The war-torn nation's ability to meet political and economic requirements will determine if Ukraine can become a full member. According to the Associated Press report, 80,000 pages of regulations covering everything from commerce and immigration to fertilisers and the legal system must be reviewed by prospective newcomers in order to prove that they adhere to standards based on democratic values. 

Furthermore, Stefanishyna told the Associated Press that she believes Ukraine might become a member of the EU within years, instead of the decades that some European officials have predicted.  

In addition to this, the bloc may provide candidates with financial and technical support. While asserting that Ukraine has already adopted roughly 70% of EU laws, regulations, and standards, European officials have emphasised the need for significant political and economic changes and the problem of corruption. 

President Zelenskyy, like Stefanishyna, believes that Ukraine's EU candidacy would be approved during the "two decisive days" of the Brussels summit, as he highlighted in a virtual speech, he gave to university students in Canada on Wednesday. 

(Image: AP)