There's no consensus among EU countries on Ukraine's "European prospect," Maasikas says
There's currently no consensus among EU member states on the possibility of Ukraine's membership in the EU, but the agreements concluded between the EU and Ukraine, in particular the Association Agreement, provide very important tools in bringing Ukraine closer to the EU's standards and regulations.
EU Ambassador to Ukraine Matti Maasikas announced this on Sunday, Ukrinform reports.
"Decisions on membership must be made unanimously by EU members. This is an excellent rule for any club so that everyone can feel comfortable. At the moment, there's still no consensus among EU member states to grant this, as we call it in EU slang, European perspective, which means a promise. If a candidate country meets all the criteria, then it can become a member… But the Association Agreement is too broad to make Ukraine a much more European country in terms of standards, regulations, and policies," the diplomat said.
He stressed that among the Eastern Partnership countries, three countries, Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova, have clearly stated that their goal was full membership, calling themselves the association countries and sometimes even "associate members" of the EU.
At the same time, the agreements that exist between them and the European Union don't currently stipulate what the next steps may be.
"I often face this question, what's next? We have an Association Agreement, visa-free travel. What could be the next big step in our relationship? I always answer that the agreements we have, millions of Ukrainians visiting the EU or working in Europe, Ukrainian officials involved in working with European agencies, bring us closer to each other. In my opinion, one day we'll ask ourselves: why is Ukraine not in the EU? I hope to see this day. But a lot of work needs to be done. The European Union is offering Ukraine its help to do this work better," Maasikas added.
