Ukraine’s accession to the EU is anything but a matter of course or “already done”. As we saw yesterday in Giornale.it, the President of Ukraine Zelensky completed and handed over a questionnaire to the head of the European Union delegation in Ukraine, Matti Maasikas, with a request to join Europe. “We recognize that this is a formal step for Ukraine on the way to the European Union, we know that our people have long felt European,” the Ukrainian president said in a video published by Repubblica. However, there could be obstacles capable of changing the cards on the table.
What is the “fade clause”
If it is true that the position of European countries is more positive than negative (or neutral) towards Ukrainian membership, the tension between the 27 members is palpable and discussions about what to do are almost daily. In the event that the war goes in the wrong direction and the Russians conquer the whole nation or Zelenskyy falls and is replaced by a “puppet government”, the “clause of fading “, that is, a reset of what has been achieved so far and everything returns to its starting point. No entry into the Union, the questionnaires become waste and everything has to be redone when the conditions are there. This is the scenario that could occur if the situation worsens in the coming weeks.
What are the steps
After the photos and the smiles, the questionnaire filled out by Zelensky arrived in Brussels yesterday. “Responses of Ukraine to the EU Questionnaire on Application for Membership”, ie Ukraine’s application to become a member of the EU. However, the answers are evaluated politically and not technically and concern the times: As Repubblica reports, the “roadmap” stipulates that Kyiv must send out the second questionnaire within the first seven days of May; thereafter, the opinion is forwarded to the European Council within one month. At that point, there should be a meeting on June 24 at which Ukraine could be given the status of a “candidate country”.
What are the doubts
Unfortunately, however, the war is far from over and, most likely, will still be ongoing on May 9, despite the “Victory” parade that Moscow wants to prepare. If, as mentioned, the conflict does not end with the results Kyiv hopes for, admitting a Putincontrolled country to the EU would have exactly the same effect opposite to. That’s why we’re proceeding with the “handbrake” on. And then not all 27 members are 100% so convinced of this new accession to the Union. In short, there are many knots, and as always, they come to a head. But for now, Zelenskyy filled out the questionnaire by answering various topics ranging from the EU internal market to the state budget. However, here we are not in school or university: errors in the answer will not concern the Ukrainian annexation, the problem here is only political.
“Ukrainian European Family”
“We talked about how to increase our aid to Ukraine, financial and defense support and Ukraine’s responses to the questionnaire to become a member of the EU,” he said. Ursula von der Leyen after talks with the Ukrainian President. “The Commission stands ready to support you. Ukraine is part of our European family.” The other formality compiled by Zelensky concerned the rights and obligations binding EU states, a questionnaire sent to Kyiv last week. It remains to be seen whether from today to the next two months the situation will remain the same or unforeseen scenarios will completely change the cards on the table.