Ireland Warns Against 'Two-Tier' EU Membership for Ukraine
Ireland's foreign minister, Helen McEntee, has cautioned that granting Ukraine an 'associate membership' of the European Union could create a two-tier system and potentially slow down the country's progress toward full membership.
Key Details
- McEntee spoke on Friday during a briefing with journalists, as reported by Euronews.
- Ireland will hold the rotating EU Council presidency starting in July, overseeing Ukraine's accession negotiations.
- McEntee questioned whether associate members could end up in a 'limbo' without sufficient pressure to implement necessary legal reforms.
- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has proposed a tailor-made 'associate membership' status for Ukraine, offering access to EU decision-making bodies without voting rights, access to EU programmes, and security guarantees under Article 42.7 of the EU treaties.
Statements
Helen McEntee: "We need to make sure that there isn't a two-tiered approach or we apply [the accession process] equally to each country."
Friedrich Merz, in a letter to EU leaders: "It is now time to boldly move on with Ukraine's EU integration through innovative solutions as immediate steps forward."
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha: "We see that the search for modalities that can lead to this membership is ongoing. Well, let them have a place, but they cannot replace our strategic position."
Background
- Ukraine's EU accession process has been stalled for two years due to a Hungarian veto.
- The new Hungarian government has launched consultations with Kyiv regarding Hungarian minority rights in Ukraine, which may unlock progress.
- EU hopes to lift the veto in June and open the first cluster of negotiations with Ukraine.