L he French government wants to play the card of honesty on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union. On Sunday May 22, the Minister Delegate for European Affairs estimated that the process would take “probably 15 or 20 years”. The latter advocating that the country led by Volodymyr Zelensky between meanwhile in the European political community proposed by Emmanuel Macron.
“You have to be honest. If we say that Ukraine will join the EU in six months, a year or two years, we are lying. It’s not true. It’s probably 15 or 20 years, it’s very long,” he said on Radio J. “I don’t want the Ukrainians to be sold illusions and lies. If we say to the Ukrainians: Welcome to the EU. But you haven’t read about the contract, in the footnote: Hi it’s in 15 yearsI think that tomorrow we are preparing disappointments for a whole generation of Ukrainian people,” he said.
And to continue, evoking the idea of the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron to offer the Ukrainians “a political project in which they can enter”. The European political community mentioned at the beginning of May by President Macron is “complementary to the EU”, insisted on specifying the Minister in charge of European Affairs. This “can offer a political and concrete project to countries which are not in the heart of the EU and which want to get closer to us”, he further observed.
READ ALSOGérard Araud – Hands off the European treaties
“Second-rate treatment”
“It’s not a closed door but on the contrary an open door”, he hammered home, citing several possible advantages pell-mell: “free movement in Europe” and being able to “benefit in part from the European budget for reconstruction and tomorrow for the revival” of Ukraine. Clément Beaune also mentioned the possibility of participating in common energy policies.
The issue of EU enlargement to Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova is generating controversy and dissension within the Union. The head of Ukrainian diplomacy Dmytro Kouleba denounced Thursday a “second-class treatment” from “certain capitals” about the Ukrainian candidacy to join the Union. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had said earlier that he was not in favor of granting a “shortcut” to Ukraine in view of EU membership.
READ ALSOEuropean defence: Thierry Breton offers the 27 joint arms purchases
A “new European organization” rejected by kyiv
In his speech on the occasion of Europe Day, May 9, Emmanuel Macron stressed that Ukraine, invaded by Russia, was already “a heart member of our union”. On the other hand, he had estimated that the process of joining the EU “would take several years, in fact several decades”. A situation in the face of which he had proposed the creation of a “new European organization”.
“We cannot be kept at a distance,” President Volodymyr Zelensky then replied to him, before continuing this Saturday: “We do not need alternatives to Ukraine’s candidacy for the EU, we do not we don’t need such compromises. Asked about this reaction, the French minister said he “understood” the Ukrainian head of state, because integration into the EU “mobilizes his people”. “But I answer: European membership, let’s be honest, it takes time. »
READ ALSOMacron calls for a Convention to revise European treaties