1. How soon should Ukraine join the EU?


2. Putin at a loss on "Victory Day"


3. Daniel Günther is now spoiled for choice


4. North Rhine-Westphalia is not Schleswig-Holstein


5. Challenges by the new DGB boss


6. Gas prices for private customers are rising significantly


7. Ukraine is the favourite at the ESC

Daniel Mohr

Editor in the economy of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sunday newspaper.

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1. How soon should Ukraine join the EU?

The EU Commission wants to decide as early as June whether Ukraine will become a candidate country.

French President Macron is dampening hopes and wants to reform the EU.

In a hurry:

Only a few weeks after Ukraine's request to become a member of the EU, an important next step could be taken.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she looked forward to Ukraine's further replies to the EU's membership questionnaire.

As early as June, her commission wants to assess whether Ukraine can become an official candidate for accession.

All EU members would have to agree to this.

Decades:

French President Emmanuel Macron curbed expectations of membership soon.

Accession negotiations would take several years, probably decades.

In doing so, he countered the hopes of those who are campaigning for an accelerated accession process for Ukraine in its difficult situation and thus want to send a signal to Moscow.

In contrast, in a speech about the future of Europe, Macron campaigned for a new organization that binds countries to Europe that are not yet ready for the EU.

reforms:

At the same time, Macron called for a convention to be convened to work out reforms for the EU.

In the future, it should be possible to make decisions in all areas of politics with a qualified majority, thereby abolishing the often necessary and paralyzing unanimity.

In addition, the electoral law should be reformed and the European Parliament should be given the right of initiative.

On Monday evening, Macron traveled to Berlin for his inaugural visit to discuss, among other things, the reform plans and Ukraine's prospects with Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD).

Scholz was open to a new form of European community that would enable countries like Ukraine to cooperate closely.

However, Scholz also emphasized that this should not prevent the EU from further advancing the admission of the Western Balkan states in particular.

more on the subject

2. Putin at a loss on “Victory Day”.

There have been no major announcements.

It is still questionable how long the terror in Ukraine will continue.

11 minutes:

That's how long Vladimir Putin's speech on Red Square in Moscow on "Victory Day" over Germany in World War II lasted 77 years ago.

What is happening in Ukraine is a continuation of the war against Nazi Germany.

"Today you are protecting what your fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers fought for," Putin said.

He described the war in Ukraine as "proactive resistance" against "aggression" by the West and thus a forced and the only right decision.

Repetition:

Putin is repeating old allegations.

The concerns that he could use the occasion to announce a major offensive or mobilization were not confirmed.

Rather, Putin remained stuck in his old tales, again trying long historical arcs in which he sees himself, beginning with the Kiev Grand Duke Yaroslav from the 11th century.