The Commission had not previously decided so quickly on a candidacy request, which has become an urgent matter, due to the war that Russia has been waging for more than 3 months and is part of the support provided by the Europeans to Ukraine in the face of Moscow.
Bueno said, in exclusive statements to “Sky News Arabia”, that the European Union has not witnessed such unity regarding any other issue related to a third country outside the bloc, especially if we take into account that any decision in the field of foreign policy needs the unanimity of the 27 member states.
Kyiv submitted its candidacy to the European Union in late February after the start of the war, and since then Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has not stopped challenging the bloc to prove that “sayings about the Ukrainian people’s belonging to the European family are not empty talk.”
In addition to the next step in support of Kyiv, the EU spokesperson explained that “in addition to the sanctions, we have provided huge financial and technical assistance to Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, and we are now working with Ukraine to facilitate food and agricultural exports abroad.”
“We have to remember that Ukraine is the fifth largest exporter of grain in the world and the Russian invasion has damaged the ability of this country to transport all these products, so we are determined to continue our support not only to Ukraine but also to our partners in this region,” he added.
Bueno attributed the reason to considering the war between Russia and Ukraine as an existential threat to the European Union as a project of peace, stability and prosperity.
Ukraine is essentially linked to the European Union by an association agreement that entered into force in September 2017.
To become a candidate for EU membership, a country must fulfill a series of political (democracy, rule of law, protection of minorities), economic (viable market economy) criteria and a commitment to introducing the rules of European law.
The head of the European Commission, who has visited Ukraine twice, admitted that the country’s authorities “have done a lot” to prepare for her candidacy, but said there was still “much to do”, especially in terms of fighting corruption and respecting the rule of law.
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