Ukraine's accession to EU should not be rushed: EP Vice-President Katarina Barley

After the EU Commission recommended that Ukraine and Moldova be formally designated as applicants for EU membership, Katarina Barley, Vice President of the European Parliament, warned against lowering entry conditions. Katarina Barley, the Vice President of the European Parliament, stated that Kyiv must completely implement EU norms. Katarina Barley but added that the EU should not push Ukraine into membership.

"There must be no hasty accessions. Anyone who is in the EU cannot be excluded. You can currently see that in Hungary, which is systematically undermining the rule of law. It is all the more important that the criteria laid down for accession, such as institutional stability, a functioning market economy and the rule of law, are fully met," Barley told the Neue Osnabrucker Zeitung on June 18.

On June 17, the European Commission recommended that Ukraine be granted candidate status, the first step on the long road to full membership. A meeting will be held next week to confirm the decision. Barley endorsed Ukraine's bid but cautioned against a "loose interpretation" of EU membership standards. She advocated for "equal treatment" of other countries aspiring to join the EU, such as Moldova.

Candidate status would send a strong message to Moscow: Katarina Barley

Given Russia's hostility, offering Ukraine candidate status is the best option to accommodate the country. Candidate status would send a strong message to Moscow that the EU will not back down when it comes to safeguarding our values, Barley added. On June 17, the EU Commission suggested that EU member states admit Ukraine and neighbouring Moldova as candidate countries. The heads of state and government intend to debate this at their upcoming summit.

"I'm pretty sure that all EU member states are willing to smooth the way for Ukraine to join the EU," Barley said, adding that there may be differing opinions about the time horizon "but everyone is in principle in agreement on the goal."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy encouraged the EU to hasten Ukraine's accession to the bloc in late February, claiming that the country "deserves" to be a member of the bloc. Ukraine applied for membership immediately after Russia launched a military offensive against the country.

(Image: AP)