EU expansion
EU Council President Michel calls for Ukraine to join the EU by 2030
“Ukraine can belong to the EU in 2030 if both sides do their homework,” says Charles Michel. photo
© Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP/dpa
Does Ukraine have a chance of becoming a member of the European Union? The President of the Council certainly says that conditions must first be met.
EU Council President Charles Michel supports Ukraine’s accession to the EU European Union by 2030 – under certain conditions. “Ukraine can belong to the EU in 2030 if both sides do their homework,” Michel told “Spiegel”. Among other things, he called on the EU to speed up decision-making processes. By quickly admitting Kiev, the EU would also “prove that it is capable of geopolitical action,” said Michel.
At the same time, he explained that there would be no political discount for Ukraine or the other EU accession candidates – in addition to Turkey, these are the six Western Balkan states and the Republic of Moldova. “Ukraine and the other candidate countries must implement reforms, fight corruption and meet the legal requirements,” said Michel.
The topic of enlargement is to be discussed, among other things, at a meeting of EU heads of state and government this week in Granada, Spain.