Ukraine applies for European Union membership

Ukraine wants to join the European Union. Here's how that would work

According to a post on the verified Facebook page, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has formally signed the Ukrainian European Union application.

"[Zelensky] has just signed a historical document — Ukraine's application for European Union membership," Andrey Shibiha, Deputy Director of Cheong Wa Dae, tweeted. The Ukrainian Prime Minister and the head of parliament have also signed a joint statement, he added.

The move will take place hours after Zelensky released a video calling for EU accession and urging Russian troops to return home. He called on the EU to allow immediate accession of Ukraine under "new special procedures" that he did not elaborate on.

Zelensky discussed membership with European leaders

Zelensky's plea reflects what he said over the weekend when he publicly claimed Ukraine's accession to the EU and discussed the matter with European leaders.

The process involves time-consuming negotiations

Country has a free market economy and stable democracy, and can only apply if certain conditions are met, such as accepting all EU law and the euro. Then submit the application to the European Council. The European Council urges the Commission to assess the capabilities of countries that meet these criteria. If the Commission's evaluation is positive, the European Council must unanimously agree on a formal framework for negotiations between the Minister and Ambassador of the EU Government and the candidate country. " Negotiations are taking a long time due to the huge amount of EU regulations and regulations that each member country must adopt as national law, " explains the EU. Currently, five countries, Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey, are in the process of incorporating EU law into their national law. The other two (Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina) are classified as "potential candidates" because they do not yet meet the criteria for applying for membership.

EU assistance to Ukraine

Ukraine is the European Union's preferred partner. The EU is helping Ukrainian citizens ensure a stable prosperity and a democratic future. The Union Agreement, which includes the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Zone (DCFTA), is a major tool for bringing Ukraine and the EU closer together, promoting deeper political ties, stronger economic ties and respect for common values. Since 2014, Ukraine has launched an ambitious reform program to accelerate economic growth and improve the lives of its citizens. During this period, the EU and financial institutions mobilized more than EUR 17 billion in grants and loans to support the reform and applied the terms according to their progress. In January 2022, the Commission provided financial assistance to Ukraine with a new Macro Financial Assistance (MFA) package of up to € 1.2 billion to help Ukraine tackle current economic and geopolitical challenges. I proposed increasing it. The Commission also allocated an additional 120 million euros to Ukraine, significantly increasing bilateral aid to Ukraine in the form of grants this year, compared to the originally expected 160 million euros. increase. This support will strengthen Ukraine's national construction and resilience efforts. In addition, the EU will continue to invest in the future of Ukraine as part of its economic investment program aimed at mobilizing investments of up to EUR 6.5 billion over the next few years.

Addressing disinformation

The EU has condemned the disinformation war against Ukraine and imposed sanctions on Russia's leading disinformation officials. The EU is working on disinformation against Ukraine and is actively working to uncover myths. As part of a broader action announced on February 27, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed banning the EU's state-run Russian media, Russia Today and Sputnik. The EU is also committed to further supporting Ukraine's resilience, including the fight against disinformation.