EU Membership by 2027 is an Unrealistic Goal - Klympush-Tsintsadze
Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, the head of the Ukrainian Parliament's Committee on European Integration, has declared in an interview with Ukrinform that the goal of Ukraine joining the European Union by 2027 is unrealistic.
Klympush-Tsintsadze emphasized that the pace at which Ukraine is moving towards this goal, as well as the volume of tasks and procedures that need to be completed, is extraordinarily large. She pointed out that even if a decision were made today regarding Ukraine's accession to the EU, it would require ratification by all parliaments of the EU member states.
According to her, this is physically impossible by 2027, as the ratification process is lengthy and complex. The committee chair also criticized the idea of fixing a date for Ukraine's EU membership in the Peace Agreement. She expressed dissatisfaction that the European Union was not involved in the negotiations between Russia, Ukraine, and the United States, while a clause concerning only Ukraine and the EU was included in the draft agreement.
"I cannot understand who and what guided them when they decided to insert a clause into the draft Peace Agreement that does not concern either America or Russia, but only Ukraine and the European Union," Klympush-Tsintsadze stated, highlighting that this is a flawed approach and unfair to European partners.
She further added that demanding a specific date for EU membership is "in the realm of fantasy." Klympush-Tsintsadze believes that even if changes are made to the EU enlargement procedures to meet modern challenges, the year 2027 will remain an unrealistic goal.
"Of course, one can talk about the fact that the procedures for EU enlargement corresponded to a peacetime regime and were not designed for the challenges that the world, Ukraine, and Europe are currently facing. But even if we imagine that some reform of the European Union will take place, 2027 is an unrealistic model," she stressed.
These comments from Klympush-Tsintsadze were a response to a statement made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who previously mentioned that it is important for Ukraine to stipulate a date for EU membership in the agreement to end the war. According to him, this is necessary to obtain clear security guarantees and avoid blocking the accession.
Zelensky also emphasized that Ukraine will be technically ready for EU membership by 2027. However, as indicated by Klympush-Tsintsadze's comments, there are serious doubts regarding the attainability of this goal within the specified timeframe.
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