Posted yesterday at 4:00 p.m.
How could Ukraine’s rapid accession to the European Union (EU), as requested by President Volodymyr Zelensky, put an immediate end to the Russian offensive? And what prevents this immediate adherence?
France Booklet
Last Tuesday, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, delivered a stirring plea to the plenary session of the European Parliament. Here is an extract from his speech delivered by videoconference and without notes, he made a point of specifying.
“We now want to be your equals. We want to be members of the European Union and I think today we are showing everyone that we are your equals. And the European Union will be much stronger with us within it. Without you, Ukraine will be alone. We have shown our strength. We have shown that we are your equals. On your side, prove that you are on our side, prove that you are not going to let us down. Prove that indeed you are Europeans. And then life will win over death and light will win over darkness. Glory to Ukraine! »
At first glance, rapid EU membership could allow Ukraine to emerge from Russian rule without posing too much of a threat to Vladimir Putin. In reality, however, it is much more complex.
“We must see this declaration as a cry from the heart for international solidarity,” observes Frédéric Mérand, professor of political science at the University of Montreal and scientific director of the Center for International Studies and Research (CERIUM).
“The president has asked Europe to go beyond his fine speeches,” adds researcher Jonathan Paquin, professor in the political science department at Laval University. But apart from a few eastern countries, no one wants to involve European countries in an armed conflict. »
Indeed, there is a mutual defense clause within the EU which obliges countries to show solidarity. It is precisely for this reason that the majority of member countries, 27 in number, will never accept Ukraine’s request.
“The mutual defense clause of the EU is much weaker than that of NATO, because the latter is guaranteed by the United States, notes Frédéric Mérand, of CERIUM. In Europe, the largest military force is that of France and it is no match for the Russian armed forces. »
In normal times, recalls Professor Mérand, an application for EU membership can take years, even decades, to be finalized. For example, Turkey has been negotiating its own for 20 years. What the Ukrainian president is asking for is expedited processing. “But even when you speed up the process, as in the case of Eastern countries after the Balkan war, it took 10 years before it materialized,” adds the scientific director of CERIUM.
Other reasons explain the impossibility of this membership, including the list of conditions for joining the EU. At the top of these conditions, the absence of internal conflict and the protection of minorities, two criteria which Ukraine does not meet. Frédéric Mérand lists others: the market economy, the rule of law, and the community acquis, that is to say that Ukraine had to align its laws with those of European legislation.
Let’s say that Ukraine has a lot of work to do before it can grant its wishes.
That said, the EU is not standing idly by, reminds Jonathan Paquin of Université Laval. “Europe welcomes refugees, sends arms and humanitarian aid. But she is still careful not to do anything that could escalate the conflict. »