German Chancellor Friedrich Merz proposed granting Ukraine an unprecedented “Associate Member” position within the European Union — which would bring Kyiv closer to the 27-country bloc as it continues its years-long pursuit towards attaining full membership status.
Merz reportedly shared his proposal through a letter addressed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa. In Merz’s missive, seen by several international outlets on Thursday, the German Chancellor argued that his proposed “associate member” for Ukraine would not confer the country with voting rights within the European Council, Parliament, and Commission, but it would grant it access to E.U.-funded programs on a “step-by-step” basis without being a full member of the bloc.
“It is obvious that we will not be able to complete the accession process shortly, given the countless hurdles as well as the political complexities of ratification processes,” Merz reportedly wrote in the letter, per Deutsche Welle.
“What I envisage is a political solution that brings Ukraine substantially closer to the European Union and its core institutions immediately,” he continued.
Most significantly, Euronews pointed out, said prospective status would grant Ukraine coverage under the bloc’s mutual defense clause in the event of a Russian attack as stipulated by Article 42.7 of the E.U. treaty. The article states that members states must come to the aid of another E.U. member if it falls victim of an armed aggression on its territory.
“We would already now offer to Ukraine a substantial equivalent to membership that exceeds by far what we could deliver in the medium-term through our accession methodology, notably given the ratification process,” Merz argued in the letter. “We would continue with the regular accession procedure to ensure that we also achieve formal accession as quickly as possible.”
Merz reportedly acknowledged that a prospective “associate membership” for Ukraine would raise questions on its technical, legal, and political implications but argued that these issues could be resolved if EU leaders take a “constructive approach” to the concept. He further argued that such status would translate into a “strong political signal” for Ukraine and its people over its ongoing war with Russia and “facilitate” peace talks between both nations.
“This is essential not only for Ukraine’s but for the entire continent’s security,” the German Chancellor reportedly claimed in the missive.
Ukraine has sought to join the European Union for years. President Volodymyr Zelensky repeatedly called for Ukrainian E.U. membership over the past years amid Russia’s ongoing invasion of its territory — including calls for special “expedited” adhesion procedures for the country to join the E.U. without having to go through the regular, lengthily process to form part of the bloc.
As Breitbart News reported in December, Ukraine has received numerous criticisms over its lack to address corruption, treatment of linguistic minorities, and other issues, all of which have left the country facing a long way towards attaining the coveted EU membership status under regular circumstances.
In April, Zelensky claimed that the E.U. needs to increase its ranks and include as many new member nations as possible to “fight Russia.” The Ukrainian President also suggested that the United Kingdom should rejoin the E.U.
The UK is the only country to have ever left the European Union, and it did so under a wide array of reasons, including, but not limited to, concerns over a prospective “European Army” eroding British sovereignty and the E.U.’s open borders policies.