Ukraine worries its EU bid could be stalled by political issues

Ukraine's ambitions to make rapid progress on its path to EU membership are creating tensions between Kiev, Brussels and some European capitals ahead of the formal opening of the first negotiating cluster next week, diplomats and EU officials say.

Kiev and Brussels have publicly welcomed the likely start of formal negotiations on June 15, but Ukraine is concerned that its candidacy could be "stalled" by political issues, including the presidential election in France. This, writes Brussels-based Politiko, could push enlargement off the EU agenda.

After Hungary signaled last week that it would drop its long-standing opposition to Ukraine's EU membership bid, several diplomats said the opening of the first cluster should come at an intergovernmental conference in Luxembourg on June 15.

Brussels, meanwhile, is concerned about the pace of Ukraine's reforms.

Discussion papers submitted by Paris and Berlin, promoting “associate membership” for Kiev and other interim solutions, are causing nervousness. “Ukraine is being offered practically everything except membership itself,” Ukraine’s ambassador to the EU, Vsevolod Chentsov, told Politico.

It says there is a risk that Ukraine will be stuck in a waiting room, with some benefits from European integration but no clear path to full membership. Kiev has not rejected the Franco-German ideas, but wants stronger guarantees about how it will end, according to officials familiar with the talks.

Kiev wants to open several negotiating clusters before the end of the summer as a signal to domestic politicians and war-weary voters that EU membership is a realistic prospect, not an empty wish.

Brussels, however, worries about disappointment as a risk factor for Ukraine's internal reforms. In recent months, the adoption of key laws needed for EU accession has been slowed by unfilled seats in parliament and fears that some measures would not receive a majority if put to a vote.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Koss was in Kiev yesterday with what Politiko reports is a reassuring message. She met with Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko and the heads of parliamentary committees tasked with overseeing reforms.

"There was a feeling inside the room (at the talks) that both sides were starting to work seriously and were getting much more involved in the accession process," an EU official told the Brussels portal.

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Taras Kachka thanked Marta Kos for visiting Kiev and for her strong support for Ukraine's future in the EU.

"As we stand on the threshold of opening Cluster 1, the focus is increasingly shifting from preparation to implementation. The progress we make with reforms, especially in the area of ​​the rule of law, will define the pace of the accession process... The opening of the first negotiating cluster will mark the beginning of a new phase of our path to EU membership," Kačka wrote on X.

The Politika article concludes that managing Kiev's EU membership bid will be delicate for Brussels and European capitals – the stakes are high, and wrong steps would have painful consequences.