Kiev's hopes for quick EU membership dashed by a European commissioner. “It's not possible”
European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos declared on Monday that it is “impossible” for Ukraine to join the European Union in January 2027 and pleaded for a “gradual” accession, starting with specific areas, such as energy, informs EFE, taken over by Agerpres.
“Even if all the member states wanted Ukraine to be in the European Union tomorrow, this would not be possible because it has to adopt all the legislation and all the acquis communautaire,” Kos said in an appearance before the joint EU committee of Spain's Congress of Deputies.
The European Commissioner focused his speech on the importance of the EU enlargement process with several Eastern European countries and highlighted the case of Ukraine.
Marta Kos said that during a recent visit to Ukraine, the country's authorities asked her: “What is more important: to survive or to implement the reforms necessary to join the EU?”
“It's a difficult question to answer,” she reflected, because in its war against Russia, Ukraine “is also fighting for us.”
“In the EU, consensus is essential”
Europe is “under pressure”, added the European commissioner, a pressure that comes “both from the east and from within the EU and from MAGA”, referring to the American movement that supports President Donald Trump.
To respond to this situation, “Europe must be strong and independent, and the enlargement process can help”, but this does not change the fact that all the countries that wanted to join the EU “had to make reforms”, Marta Kos also declared.
Therefore, the European representative pleads for “gradual integration in areas where the requirements are met” to respond to the urgency of the situation “without losing credibility” and “doing things right”.
“Sometimes it is said that Europe is slow and bureaucratic, but it is also reliable,” she said, adding that “autocrats can make decisions without formalities, but in the EU, consensus is essential.”
In this sense, the European commissioner for enlargement argued that the recent elections in Hungary, where a candidate closer to the EU positions than Prime Minister Viktor Orban won, open a possibility to move forward in the Ukraine problem, which is already materializing in economic aid and sanctions against Russia.
