Ukraine Can Pursue EU Membership Even with Occupied Regions
The Member of the European Parliament suggests that Ukraine could become a member of the EU even if part of its territory remains occupied, following the example of West Germany or Cyprus.
The Gaze reports on it, referring to European Pravda.
In an interview with European Pravda, Michael Gahler, the European Parliament's rapporteur on Ukraine, called for realism. Ukraine's accession to the EU during the war would mean the EU's entry into the war. Accordingly, such a decision is extremely unlikely, given that it requires unanimity.
An alternative could be a situation with the start of a truce, when some territories of Ukraine will still be under Russian occupation.
“Then we would have a situation similar to that of West Germany. It was a member of the EU, although it did not control East Germany. And after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the German constitution was extended to East Germany, and it automatically became part of the EU,” he explained.
Michael Gahler argues that the same could happen with Ukraine.
“Even if not all of Ukraine is under government control at the time of the ceasefire, nothing prevents us from negotiating your accession to the EU,” he said.
He emphasizes that the subject of the negotiations will be the membership of the whole of Ukraine, and the territory not controlled by the government will be able to join the EU when this control is restored.
“When Ukraine joins the EU, the transition period (when certain EU common market rules do not apply for a certain number of years – EP) will only apply to the part of the country controlled by the government. Later, when other parts return to Ukrainian control, only these territories will begin to count their transition periods,” explained the member of the European Parliament.
As The Gaze informed earlier, the EU Council has officially approved a new trade agreement with Ukraine, replacing the “trade visa-free” agreement and laying a long-term, predictable foundation for mutually beneficial trade.