The European Union should formulate a clear plan for Ukraine’s accession to the bloc as a full member. Six EU member states stated this amid growing fears that Hungary is seeking to impede Ukraine’s accession, Politico reports.
In a joint statement, senior diplomats from Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia called Brussels to prepare “concrete proposals on how to decisively advance Ukraine’s accession process.”
“Reaffirming our full and unequivocal commitment to Ukraine’s membership perspective in the European Union, we call for accelerating the accession process. The time has come to take ambitious and effective decisions in this context,” the statement reads.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has publicly expressed the opinion that Ukraine could become a member of the bloc by 2030, but the letter’s signatories insist on concrete steps to realize this goal.
“Ukraine has made significant progress in reforms – now we must mobilize our efforts to help Ukraine realize its aspirations,” the letter says.
At the same time, the letter emphasizes that the enlargement process should be “predictable and based on its own achievements” and “bilateral issues that run counter to the EU’s common strategic interests should not be used to block progress, but should be resolved through good faith dialogue.”
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has consistently opposed Ukraine’s accession to the 27-nation bloc, and his diplomats in Brussels have consistently raised objections during negotiations.
