Juncker proposes partial membership for Ukraine in the EU!

Juncker proposes partial membership for Ukraine in the EU!

Luxemburg, Luxemburg - Luxembourg (dpa)-Jean-Claude Juncker, the former President of the EU Commission, has made a daring proposal for Ukraine: an EU «partial membership». In a conversation with the German Press Agency, he said that Ukraine could not quickly get to full membership, since numerous problems such as corruption and the rule of law were still unsolved. Juncker emphasized that it was better to concentrate on models of partial membership instead of promising empty.

Ukraine made its application for EU membership on February 28, 2022, shortly after the start of the Russian attack. The official accession negotiations have been running since June 25, 2024. Juncker warned against giving the Ukrainians the impression that immediate membership was within reach. He advocates that Ukraine can participate in important EU decisions without being a full member. This would signal the Ukrainians that their reform efforts are recognized.

partial membership without voting rights

Juncker explained that partial membership would mean that Ukraine could participate in certain EU political decisions, but without voting rights. This would be an important sign of support and would encourage Ukraine to continue their reforms. When asked about a time frame for this partial membership, Juncker replied that there was no fixed plan and that the idea of immediate full membership does not do justice to the Ukrainians.

he also expressed himself skeptically about the possibility of a quick peace between Russia and Ukraine, as the future US President Donald Trump had indicated. Juncker warned against imposing a dictation peace of Ukraine and confirming that the EU must continue to support Ukraine as long as it was necessary. Partial membership is not provided for in Lisbon's current EU contract, but there are examples such as Norway and Switzerland that are closely connected to the EU without being a member.