EU politician on Ukraine
Barley: “There must be no hasty accessions”
6/18/2022 3:42 am
The Vice-President of the European Parliament, Katarina Barley, makes it clear that Ukraine should only become a member of the EU if the accession criteria are “completely fulfilled”. She cites fairness towards other waiting countries as an argument and gives an example of a failed entry.
The Vice-President of the European Parliament, Katarina Barley, has warned against a hasty admission of Ukraine to the European Union. “There must be no hasty accessions,” said the SPD politician to the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung”. “Once you’re in the EU, you can’t be excluded.” It is therefore “all the more important” that Kyiv’s accession criteria are “completely met”.
As a negative example, Barley cited Hungary, which joined the EU in 2004 and “systematically” undermines the rule of law. On Friday, the EU Commission recommended officially granting Ukraine, together with neighboring Moldova, the status of an EU accession candidate. Next week, the 27 EU member states will have to decide on a possible candidate statute, which requires a unanimous decision.
“An important signal towards Moscow”
In his own words, Barley would expressly welcome the granting of candidate status to Ukraine. She told the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung that this would be “an important signal to Moscow that the EU will not be intimidated when it comes to defending our values.” With a view to other accession candidates, however, it is important not to make a “loose interpretation” of the criteria for EU membership.
Barley said she was “pretty sure that all EU member states are willing to smooth the way for Ukraine to join the EU.” There may be “differing opinions about the time horizon, but everyone basically agrees on the goal”.