A day after pledging Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy their unwavering support, the European Union on Friday came face to face with one of its worst political headaches on a key commitment — how and when to welcome destitute and battered Ukraine into the bloc.
And immediately, a rift became evident: between those who want to draw Kyiv and other aspiring nations in as quickly as possible, and others that want the bloc to bide its time, setting up difficult talks on an issue that requires unanimity among the 27 member states.
Most EU nations have said since the February 2022 start of the war that they would work steadfastly on a “lasting unity” with Ukraine that would eventually translate into Kyiv’s membership in the wealthy bloc. Now, Hungarian President Viktor Orbán, ever the recalcitrant voice at summits, insisted the whole idea would have to be rethought from scratch.
“We have never done an enlargement to the country which is in a war. And we don’t know where are the effective borders, how many people are living there,” Orbán said as he arrived at the EU summit in Granada. “Sorry, it’s painful to get these countries in the EU.”
This is the best summary I could come up with:
And immediately, a rift became evident: between those who want to draw Kyiv and other aspiring nations in as quickly as possible, and others that want the bloc to bide its time, setting up difficult talks on an issue that requires unanimity among the 27 member states.
Most EU nations have said since the February 2022 start of the war that they would work steadfastly on a “lasting unity” with Ukraine that would eventually translate into Kyiv’s membership in the wealthy bloc.
Orbán insisted the budgetary consequences had not yet been fully worked out, in addition to the impact of Ukraine’s massive agricultural production on the fate of the other nations with large farm sectors.
Last month, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia banned Ukrainian grain and other food products from their markets, saying the imports were dragging down prices for local producers.
Prime Minister Kaja Kallas emphasized the advantages for Estonia from joining the bloc in 2004, making its way up from a relatively poor nation to one that is near the EU average of GDP in less than two decades.
But von der Leyen has stressed that “accession is merit-based.” She says the progress these countries make in aligning their laws with EU rules and standards should dictate the pace of membership, rather than some arbitrary deadline.
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