Emmanuel Macron wants a "European political community" to welcome Ukraine
Emmanuel Macron during his speech in front of the European Parliament in Strasbourg on May 9, 2022. AP - Jean-Francois Badias
Text by: RFI Follow
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French President Emmanuel Macron called on Monday in Strasbourg for the creation of a "
European political community
" to welcome Ukraine in particular, during the EU accession procedure which will take years, even "
decades
".
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In his speech on the occasion of Europe Day,
Emmanuel Macron underlined that Ukraine, invaded by Russia, was already a "
heartfelt member of our union
" while Moscow organized a military commemoration with great fanfare of the 1945 victory over Nazi Germany.
But the process of joining the EU, to which Kiev aspires, "
would take several years, in fact several decades
", underlined the French president, who proposed, in parallel, the creation of a "
new European organization
" .
.
"
This new European organization would allow democratic European nations adhering to our core values to find a new space for political cooperation, security and cooperation
", explained Emmanuel Macron on the occasion of the closing of the Conference on future of Europe.
The European Commission intends to give its opinion in June on Ukraine obtaining EU candidate status, which would pave the way for a long process of negotiations which will have to be approved by all of the 27, announced Monday Ursula von der Leyen.
Treaty revisions
The president of the European executive also spoke out for a modification of the EU treaties “
if necessary
” and the abandonment of the unanimous vote of the 27 member countries in key areas, in a speech.
"
I've always argued that unanimity voting in some key areas just doesn't make sense anymore
," she said.
In his first speech on Europe since his re-election, Emmanuel Macron also said he was "
favourable
" to a "
revision of the treaties
" of the European Union, as proposed by the European Parliament, to gain in institutional efficiency in times of peace as in times of crisis.
Thirteen of the 27 EU countries said on Monday they were opposed to the launch of a procedure to change the treaties.
Emmanuel Macron has recognized "
differences
" between member states on the subject and wishes to raise this issue with the leaders of the 27 at a summit in June.
© RFI
(
With
AFP)
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European Union
Emmanuel Macron
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Ukraine