Jean Claude Juncker
Former EU Commission chief: Ukraine “not fit to join”
“We should work towards making something like partial accession possible, an intelligent form of near-enlargement”: Jean-Claude Juncker. photo
© Etienne Ansotte/European Commission/dpa
The predecessor of EU Commission President von der Leyen describes the country as “corrupt at all levels of society”. Nevertheless, he is in favor of offering Kiev a European perspective.
Such an approach would also not be fair to the country itself, Juncker pointed out. “You shouldn’t make false promises to the people of Ukraine who are up to their necks in suffering.” Nevertheless, a “European perspective” for Moldova and Ukraine, “which so virtuously defends itself (against Russia) and defends European values,” must be maintained. It must be possible for these countries to “participate in parts of European integration,” says Juncker. “We should work towards making something like partial accession possible, an intelligent form of near-enlargement.”
EU Council President Charles Michel is now in favor of Ukraine joining the 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.
In view of the Russian war of aggression, Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has repeatedly called for Ukraine to join the EU. At an election campaign event for the Bavarian Greens in Munich on Sunday, Baerbock said that it was Germany’s task “when this terrible war is finally over that Ukraine can also join the European Union.” It is up to Germany to continue building the EU.