Thewesternbalkans.
According to Reuters and some other media, the European Commission is exploring possible ways for Ukraine to quickly join the European Union as part of a potential peace agreement with Russia, but without granting the full rights of an EU member state.
According to the agency, this concerns the so-called concept of “reverse accession,” which envisions Ukraine’s political accession to the EU, with the gradual acquisition of full rights after transitional periods are completed.
The idea is in an early stage of discussion and is seen as a signal of support for Ukrainians after several years of full-scale war.
According to information from Reuters, within the framework of the 20-point peace plan being discussed by the US, Ukraine, and the European Union, the possibility of Ukraine joining the EU in 2027 was mentioned in advance.
However, a number of EU member state governments consider that any fixed date is unrealistic. Joining the EU remains a process based on meeting criteria and aligning legislation with European standards.
In addition, joining the bloc requires ratification by the parliaments of all 27 EU countries.
One EU official notes that Ukraine and other candidate countries could quickly join the European Union with a subsequent ‘phased access’ to voting rights depending on the fulfillment of the criteria for full membership.
According to him, the current conditions require a reconsideration of the traditional procedures for EU enlargement.
The article notes that EU accession negotiations usually take years. For example, Poland spent about 10 years on this process.
At the same time, the European Commission believes that, from a political standpoint, Ukraine does not have that much time, considering the complexity of a potential peace agreement with Russia and how it would be perceived by Ukrainian society.
Officials suggest that even limited EU membership could contribute to stability and the acceleration of reforms.
The British agency notes that membership with limited rights is not a new practice – most countries that joined the EU in 2004 and later had transitional periods.
However, at the moment, a model with significantly broader restrictions is being discussed, which could make it difficult to gain unanimous support among the member states.
This could also affect the position of other candidate countries, particularly Montenegro and Albania, which have followed the traditional path of accession.
Earlier, the Financial Times reported that the European Commission is developing a plan to reform the EU accession process, which would allow Ukraine to join the bloc under an accelerated ‘two-stage model’ after the war ends.
Comments: From Ursula von der Leyen and Kaja Kallas, anything can already be expected. However, it is still the member states that decide who and when to join the EU, and the rules are well known. It is very unlikely that the European Commission will succeed in imposing its opinion or persuading the member states otherwise. And this is not just about Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. Even if such an EU enlargement is seen only as a political act, allowing Ukraine into the EU’s Single Market would be much more controversial.
Any analogy here with the previous EU enlargements in 2004 and 2007 is inappropriate.
