Guest pen Ukraine wants to be worthy of the EU

President Volodymyr Zelenskyi estimates in April that security will probably be the most important issue in Ukraine over the next ten years. According to him, Ukraine can become a “big Israel with its own special characteristics” – a country with armed people in its offices, supermarkets and cinemas.

In the economy, Ukraine will no doubt maintain some wartime features even after the war ends. At the same time, it is being considered how the country can turn into a recovering growth economy. The aim is not to rebuild to pre-war levels but to modernize and reform the economy.

Understandably, EU membership is seen in Ukraine as an integral part of the process. The membership project will give impetus to vital reforms and anchor the country in democracy.

European Union is not convinced that the new enlargement could be implemented so quickly that it would be crucial for Ukraine. That is why some are pushing for more aid beyond the Association Agreement but without EU membership.

Ukraine’s full membership is opposed on two different grounds. The first is not directly related to Ukraine’s application for membership but to “enlargement fatigue”. It is feared that the management of an ever-expanding Union will become very difficult, as Member States differ in terms of economic and also institutional development. And the EU has not succeeded in integrating the Member States that have joined previous enlargements. There are already a number of countries in the Western Balkans that have not been eligible for a long time.

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The war has sharpened geopolitical dividing lines.

Another reason for opposing Ukraine’s membership is that EU enlargement is also of geopolitical importance in this case. China’s rise has already led to more economic competition than cooperation in the world. The war in Ukraine has sharpened geopolitical divisions and forced the EU to steel its global role in a number of ways.

EU countries will soon break their dependence on Russian energy. They are investing in military performance and rethinking their alliance in ways that could not have been imagined until a few months ago. An example of this is the NATO application of Finland and Sweden.

The key issue however, the relationship between the EU and Russia is evolving. Will Russia remain an awkward neighbor looking east. Or can Russia and the EU achieve peaceful coexistence?

Everyone agrees that Ukraine has an important role to play in increasing Europe’s armaments. However, some believe that Ukraine’s membership of the EU would not be in the Union’s interest. Some see Ukraine as a buffer between the EU and Russia, while others see Ukraine as a member of the EU to create a better counterweight to Russia.

Concerns about the difficulty of EU governance are justified. And enlargement could really undermine the Union’s ability to cooperate more deeply. This tension has raised the idea that integration could proceed at different speeds in different countries.

EU it should not be forgotten that Ukraine’s desire to join shows that it is precisely a community of values ​​worth pursuing the EU. Ukraine must now choose its side at the intersection of political systems. Otherwise, the country will cease to exist. Ukraine’s application for membership is more than just an aspiration to join the Union, it is also a struggle for survival.

The EU will discuss Ukraine’s application for membership at its June summit. Then it is also a question of what kind of community the EU wants to be.

The EU can be a club of like-minded countries, and it is easier to govern from within. However, it excludes those who think differently, which makes working with others much more difficult.

Another option is to act as an sphere of influence in which those who disagree are also taken to solve global problems. Those who think differently, especially those who think differently, need to plan to combat climate change and disarm. Such a community should come up with new ways to bring together increasingly disparate member countries, but then membership in this club would also be worth pursuing.

Maria Demertzis

The author is the Deputy Director of the Bruegel Research Center in Brussels.

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