Ukraine is being offered ‘everything but membership’: what Politico says about tensions with the EU
Politico reports this, citing diplomats and EU officials. According to Reuters, France and Germany are indeed promoting the idea of gradual integration for countries seeking full EU membership.
Ukraine is trying to speed up negotiations on accession to the European Union, but behind the scenes, tensions are emerging between Kyiv, Brussels and certain EU countries.
Formally, Ukraine and the European Commission welcome the possible start of a new phase of negotiations as early as June. At the same time, behind the scenes there are differences regarding the pace and format of future enlargement.
The Ukrainian side fears that its application could be put on hold due to internal politics within the EU, in particular the upcoming election cycles in France and discussions about a new model of enlargement.
What does not suit Kyiv
Kyiv’s main concern is that, instead of a clear path to full membership, Ukraine may be offered an interim integration format.
This refers to the ideas of “associated membership” or gradual access to certain EU benefits without full membership and voting rights.
“In practice, Ukraine is being offered everything except membership itself,” said Ukraine’s Ambassador to the EU, Vsevolod Chentsov, in a comment to Politico.
According to diplomats, the risk lies in the fact that Ukraine may receive partial integration and access to certain programmes and markets, but without a clearly guaranteed end goal – full EU membership.
What France and Germany are proposing
France and Germany are discussing a model of gradual integration for candidate countries.
Reuters reported that Paris and Berlin are proposing to grant candidate countries early access to EU programmes and parts of the single market even before full membership. Specifically, this involves student exchanges, research, energy, industry and possible participation in some EU ministerial meetings without voting rights.
The Guardian also reported that France and Germany are promoting the idea of ‘gradual’ or ‘associated’ integration, which would allow candidate countries to participate more quickly in some European formats, but without full EU membership rights.
For Brussels, such a model may appear to be a way of accelerating practical rapprochement with the candidates. For Kyiv, however, it creates the risk that a temporary arrangement could become a substitute for full membership.
What Ukraine wants
Ukraine insists on opening negotiation clusters and a clear path towards full membership.
The Ukrainian side wants to open not just one, but several negotiation clusters by the end of the summer to demonstrate real progress in the talks.
Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister Taras Kachka told Euronews that Ukraine believes it is possible to open all six clusters as early as June, as Kyiv, in his words, is already “behind schedule”.
European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos also called on EU countries to open all negotiation clusters for Ukraine as soon as possible. At the same time, she emphasised that the process must be linked to reforms.
What they’re saying in Brussels
Brussels acknowledges Ukraine’s progress, but is also monitoring the pace of reforms.
On 8 June, the EU allocated nearly €2.8 billion to Ukraine as part of its financial support. Reuters reported that Marta Kos linked this tranche to Ukraine’s implementation of key reforms, which are also important for membership negotiations.
Officially, the European Commission stated that Kos’s visit to Kyiv on 8 June was dedicated to supporting reforms on the path to EU accession, recovery during the war, and strengthening public support for European integration.
According to Politico, during meetings in Kyiv, Kos urged Ukrainian officials to “stay calm and keep going”.
What is the problem for the EU
The EU is also looking for ways to avoid a repeat of the problems that have arisen following previous waves of enlargement.
Reuters reported that France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg have proposed additional safeguards for future EU members. Among the ideas are enhanced monitoring of the rule of law and possible temporary restrictions on certain rights in the event of a democratic backslide.
Such proposals stem from concerns that new members might abuse their veto rights or block key EU decisions after accession.
For Ukraine, this creates yet another complex context: even if negotiations proceed swiftly, the very model of future membership could become the subject of separate political bargaining.
What about the negotiations
On 3 June, Reuters reported that all EU countries had agreed on the first step in the accession negotiations for Ukraine and Moldova. This concerns the chapter on the rule of law and democratic standards.
The Financial Times also reported that Brussels plans to open the first negotiation cluster for Ukraine and Moldova in June, with the rest to follow in July.
At the same time, Politico notes that the question is becoming increasingly pressing: will the opening of the clusters be a real step towards membership, or will Ukraine receive interim integration formats without sufficient guarantees of a final outcome?
What is important
Ukraine does not rule out interim formats of cooperation with the EU, but insists that they must not replace full membership.
For Kyiv, the fundamental issue is that any gradual integration must be part of the path to accession, not a way of postponing it indefinitely.
That is precisely why Chentsov’s phrase about “everything except membership” has become a marker of a broader concern: Ukraine wants not only access to EU programmes, but a politically guaranteed path to a full-fledged place in the union.
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