Zelensky pushes for faster EU accession at Brussels summit
Following the formal opening of accession talks earlier this week, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is pushing to accelerate his country's path to European Union membership. He made that clear on Thursday upon arriving at an EU summit in Brussels.
On Monday, the EU and Ukraine opened negotiations on the first five chapters of the membership process. This initial cluster covers the reforms Kyiv must carry out to align with the most fundamental pillars of European law, including respect for democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights.
"This is truly a significant moment for Ukraine," Zelensky declared alongside European Council president Antonio Costa and Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. Ukraine has held candidate status since 2022, but negotiations had been stalled for years by Hungary's veto under former prime minister Viktor Orbán. His successor, Peter Magyar, lifted the block a week ago.
Zelensky is now pressing to move quickly to the remaining negotiating chapters. "Naturally, we will be discussing the next five historic steps for Ukraine, namely the next five clusters," he said. Von der Leyen has already expressed the hope that further clusters can be opened "during the summer". "If Ukraine does its part, we must do ours too," the Commission president said.
A divided EU
The leaders of the Baltic states have thrown their full weight behind swift accession. Latvia's new prime minister, Andris Kulbergs, immediately offered Kyiv technical support and expertise for the negotiations. "Ukraine is the country fighting for peace in Europe, so Ukraine has certainly earned its place in the EU and NATO," he argued, calling for the remaining chapters to be opened without delay.
Other member states are urging restraint, insisting that accession is, by its very nature, a long-term process. That includes Germany: Chancellor Friedrich Merz recently proposed offering Ukraine "associate membership" without voting rights as an interim arrangement pending full accession.
Belgium also falls into the latter category. In April, prime minister Bart De Wever said that "we, as Belgium, are in favour of a merit-based approach." De Wever also proposed the idea of a 'multi-tier' Europe to offer Ukraine a way forward, which would comprise different levels of cooperation within the bloc.
PHOTO © Geert Vanden Wijngaert / POOL / AFP
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