Also traffic light youth organizations
Union is stepping up the pace as Ukraine joins the EU
06/15/2022, 04:41 am
The youth organizations of the Ampel parties and the CDU/CSU parliamentary group are demanding that Ukraine be recognized immediately as a candidate for EU membership. With an application in the Bundestag, the Union wants to put pressure on the federal government.
The Union faction and the youth organizations of the traffic light parties are pushing for Ukraine to have the prospect of joining the European Union. “The German Bundestag calls on the Federal Government to work within the EU to ensure that Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia are given clear prospects of accession and that they are granted candidate status at the European Council on June 23/24, 2022,” it said it in a draft of an application that the Union wants to bring to the Bundestag next week. This is reported by the “Rheinische Post”.
A strong signal is now needed that we see Ukraine as a free, independent, European state in the long term, Europe expert and Junge Union boss Tilman Kuban told the newspaper. “The EU candidate status must not become a permanent parking lot.”
The youth organizations of the SPD, Greens and FDP are also calling for the “immediate recognition” of Ukraine as a candidate for EU membership. “As the youth organizations of the three ruling parties, we expect a clear and unambiguous stance from the traffic light on Ukraine’s desire to become a candidate for accession,” said the heads of the three organizations, Juso chairwoman Jessica Rosenthal, and the federal spokesman for the Green Youth, Sarah-Lee Heinrich and Timon Dzienus, as well as the Federal Chairwoman of the Young Liberals, Franziska Brandmann, together with the German Press Agency.
EU countries decide – unanimously
“The federal government must speed up the forthcoming consultations in Brussels so that the accession process can be initiated as quickly as possible within the framework of the EU regulations,” demanded the heads of the party’s junior organizations. Shortly after the Russian war of aggression began, Ukraine applied for membership of the European Union. The EU Commission intends to present a recommendation on Friday. The decision as to whether Ukraine will become a candidate for accession lies with the EU states and must be taken unanimously. An EU summit next week will deal with it.
“In the brutal war of aggression unleashed by Russia, the people of Ukraine have been fighting for their freedom and independence for three and a half months,” explained Rosenthal, Heinrich, Dzienus and Brandmann. “They want to decide for themselves about their future, which an overwhelming majority of Ukrainians see in the European Union – and they have every right to do so. It is therefore clear to us that Germany should support this path.”
The four up-and-coming politicians called on the federal government to work for the recognition of Ukraine, and they demanded a corresponding recommendation from the EU Commission. “Germany must not act as a brake in this process, but must act as the driving force behind European integration.” The Federal Government should accompany Ukraine closely on its way to membership in the European Union and support it in fulfilling the requirements for membership.