spoke<\/a><\/span> to Politico, the initiative covers various stages intended to bridge the gap before Kyiv achieves full membership.<\/p>\nThe proposal was developed as an alternative to the fast-track accession option, which EU member states rejected following consultations in March.<\/p>\n
Sources indicated a consensus among member states that while Ukraine\u2019s full membership is not feasible in the short term, “concrete steps” must be offered to facilitate the process of rapprochement with Kyiv.<\/p>\n
The drafted proposals include expanding Ukraine\u2019s access to EU markets, enabling its participation in financing programs, and involving the country in specific institutional frameworks.<\/p>\n
Under this arrangement, European officials are considering an option where Ukrainian representatives would attend sessions of European bodies, though they would not hold voting rights during this phase.<\/p>\n
Additionally, the EU is evaluating the creation of an intermediate status for Ukraine to formally record its progress on the path to membership. Sources close to the discussions noted that Eastern European countries, including Lithuania, support such an initiative.<\/p>\n
The European Union granted Ukraine candidate status in the summer of 2022 and officially launched membership negotiations in the summer of 2024.<\/p>\n
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has emphasized that the accession process remains merit-based and that there are no “shortcuts” on this path.<\/p>\n
While the European Commission acknowledges the need to accelerate the process, uncertainty persists regarding a definitive date for membership.<\/p>\n
Marta Kos, the European Commissioner for Enlargement, previously stated that it would be impossible for Ukraine to join the bloc by 2027.<\/p>\n
EU officials emphasized that the package currently under development does not replace the standard membership procedure. Instead, it is viewed as a temporary mechanism aimed at deepening cooperation.<\/p>\n
In late April, Bloomberg reported that EU leaders had agreed to begin negotiations on Ukraine\u2019s accession in the coming weeks and months.<\/p>\n
According to the agency\u2019s data, Kyiv has been informed that the prerequisites necessary to begin the first stage of the EU accession process have already been established.<\/p>\n
During the same period, Friedrich Merz suggested that Ukraine might lose a portion of its territory as part of a settlement to the conflict with Russia, but argued that the country should be granted an EU membership perspective in return.<\/p>\n
Merz stated that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy\u2019s intention to secure membership by January 1, 2027, would not be realized, adding that even a January 1, 2028, date remains an unrealistic expectation.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
European Union member states are preparing an “accelerated gradual integration” plan for Ukraine, designed to allow the country to benefit from specific advantages of the bloc before the formal accession process is finalized. According to European diplomats familiar with the matter who spoke to Politico, the initiative covers various stages intended to bridge the gap […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14711,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[18302,5946,7546,18301,3674,610,2518,805,2320,18300,3649,6333,8949,15671,18299,6907,822,2011],"class_list":["post-14710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe","tag-accession-process","tag-bloomberg","tag-brussels","tag-candidate-status","tag-eastern-europe","tag-eu","tag-european-commission","tag-european-union","tag-friedrich-merz","tag-gradual-integration","tag-kyiv","tag-lithuania","tag-market-access","tag-marta-kos","tag-membership-negotiations","tag-politico","tag-ukraine","tag-ursula-von-der-leyen"],"yoast_head":"\n
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