Posted yesterday at 10:00 p.m.
They have been mobilizing since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, but had not yet set foot there. It is now done.
After a train journey of more than 10 hours, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi arrived in Kyiv on Thursday, where they were joined by Romanian President Klaus Iohannis .
After going to see the “barbarism” of the Russian invasion in the martyr city of Irpin (in the suburbs of Kyiv), the four leaders took advantage of this unprecedented visit to show their support for Ukraine in its accession process to the European Union (EU). A strong and unequivocal signal, although the EU is still divided on the issue.
Photo LUDOVIC MARIN, Agence France-Presse
The four European leaders visited the town of Irpin, a suburb of Kyiv, on Thursday.
“All four of us support the status of immediate candidate for membership,” declared Emmmanuel Macron after a meeting with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, who had made an urgent request to this effect. , just days after the start of the conflict.
This demonstration of unity is no accident. It comes on the eve of a recommendation from the European Commission on whether or not to grant Ukraine the status of a candidate country for EU membership, at the same time as Moldova, where was also Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday.
Removing the “ambiguity”
Scholz and Macron also took the opportunity to reaffirm their solidarity with Kyiv, after some imprudence which could have confused the message.
Photo SERGEI SUPINSKY, Agence France-Presse
Volodymyr Zelensky, Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz
Criticized for his procrastination and the slow delivery of heavy weapons promised by Germany, the first reiterated his country’s support for Ukrainian defense and assured that he would deliver weapons “as long as Ukraine has them. need”, at the very moment when the Russian army is stepping up its attacks in the Donbass, progressing slowly but surely.
The second for his part defended himself from any “ambiguity” in his support for Ukraine after declaring a few weeks ago that Russia should not be “humiliated”, remarks very badly received in Kyiv.
“Ukraine must be able to resist and win […] France has been alongside Ukraine since day one,” said Emmanuel Macron, who is due to return to France for the second round of legislative elections scheduled for Sunday, where his majority is threatened by the NUPES, a left-wing coalition led by Jean -Luc Melenchon.
A long process before joining
After this weighty visit to Kyiv, it is expected that the European Commission will give the green light to granting a candidacy for Ukraine. But that does not mean that its entry into the EU will take place tomorrow morning, explains Christian Lequesne, specialist in European issues at Science Po Paris. On the contrary.
So Ukraine in the EU, is it coming soon?
Soon, it’s impossible. Because it’s a long process. The accession procedure provides that there is first an opinion from the European Commission. Since the Member States must decide on this opinion. Then, we must formally vote on the opening of accession negotiations. These negotiations often last several years and must be accepted unanimously. Afterwards, they must obtain the assent of the European Parliament and, finally, they must be ratified by the candidate State and by each of the 27 Member States of the European Union, according to national constitutional rules, either by referendum, or through parliament.
What will happen concretely if the 27 EU member countries validate next week (June 23 and 24) the “yes” of the Commission, scheduled for Friday?
This is what officially opens the process. This puts Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia in the same “antechamber” as the countries which have been candidates for several years and which are still waiting for their accession: Turkey, Serbia, Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro… The idea is to give political perspective to Ukraine. And that’s what Ukrainians want. But there is no guarantee that it will work. We must first rebuild the country and meet the criteria.
What criteria are we talking about?
The national legislation of the candidate countries must be in line with the EU acquis. There are a number of rules concerning the rule of law, respect for minorities, respect for the principle of opposition. These are also economic criteria concerning competition, the market economy. The EU must also have the capacity to welcome these new members. All of this is done in chapter-by-chapter negotiations, with regular screening and reporting by the Commission, and that takes time. Take Spain. Its application for membership dates from 1977, its formal entry dates from 1986. It took nine years!
With Agence France-Presse