Where is Ukraine's application to join the European Union, almost a year after the start of the war?

Ophélie Artaud 3:30 p.m., February 3, 2023

Will Ukraine join the European Union?

This Friday, Kyiv is hosting a delegation of EU commissioners, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel at a summit between the warring country and the EU.

Among the topics discussed were "the EU's response to Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine", "Ukraine's initiatives for a just peace and for those responsible to respond their actions", but also "the European trajectory of Ukraine and the accession process", details a preparatory document published on the website of the European Council.

Kyiv hopes to join by 2024

It is this last point that particularly interests Volodymyr Zelensky, almost a year after the start of the Russian invasion.

A few days ago, the Ukrainian president also declared that "Ukraine deserves to start negotiations this year concerning its accession to the EU".

The Head of State thus hopes to speed up the accession process.

After a request following the Russian invasion, on February 24, 2022, the European Commission validated Ukraine's application file in June, at the same time as that of Moldova.

A particularly fast delay, in particular because of the urgency of the Russian invasion.

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Since then, the Ukrainian file seems to have stagnated, because joining the European Union is a process that takes several years.

For example, Hungary and Poland applied for membership of the EU in 1994 and saw it succeed ten years later, in 2004. In all, eight countries are currently candidates and while Kyiv indicates that it hopes to join the EU in 2024, there is little chance that this deadline will be met.

Guest of Europe 1 last June, a few days after the official announcement of Ukraine's candidacy, the former Minister Delegate in charge of Europe, Clément Beaune (current Minister Delegate in charge of Transport), had underlined that there will be "no accelerated procedure or free pass".

Before the country can integrate the EU, "it will of course be necessary to end the war, to rebuild the country, to level up on the democratic and economic requirement. It will take time, but we are giving this signal of openness" , he added to the microphone of Sonia Mabrouk.

Towards a gradual membership?

Time, and maybe even years, as explained by Patrick Martin-Genier, professor at Sciences Po and specialist in Europe at Public Sénat.

"Clearly, Ukraine is still far from satisfying the membership criteria. Integration before ten years seems impossible," he said.

Criteria established by the Copenhagen European Council in 1993. Among them, the need for the country to be a "State of law, based on a stable democratic system which protects minorities", that it is based on a "market economy viable with the ability to face competition from within the union" or that it subscribes to the "objectives of the political, economic and monetary union", details the government site Vie publique.

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Requirements that Ukraine does not necessarily meet.

In the meantime, another possibility seems to be opening up for the country, that of gradual membership, which would allow Ukraine to benefit from certain European programs or funding.

A formula for which the President of the European Council Charles Michel would opt in particular, who recalled, during the summit in kyiv, that “Ukraine is the EU, the EU is Ukraine”.

If Ukraine should therefore not join the 27 for a while, the European Union should announce new aid, in particular financial and military, at the end of this summit.