European politicians are stating with satisfaction that the issue of Ukraine’s admittance or nonadmittance to the European Union is no longer on the agenda. At least this is the opinion of leading Ukrainian politicians, who have finally achieved consensus on Ukraine’s European integration. This announcement was made to journalists on March 27 by Mario David, a member of the executive of the international nongovernmental organization Yalta European Strategy and member of the Portuguese parliament.
“All the main political forces that will play an important role in the future parliament are in favor of Ukraine’s membership in the European Union. Of course, a lot of homework still needs to be done, but even now the presence of political will is clearly apparent,” said David. Yalta European Strategy, an organization whose members include important European politicians, has developed a recipe for Ukraine’s rapprochement with the EU. “Now we must be more demanding of the new government, the prime minister, and the president, so that they will take concrete steps to implement the membership conditions,” David added. He believes that, while continuing to introduce liberal, democratic, and market values in the political and economic spheres, the future parliamentary coalition should develop a detailed action plan with regard to Ukraine’s EU membership.
The European Union, in turn, must make it perfectly clear to Ukraine that its doors are open. This could happen right after the EU recognizes that Ukraine meets the Copenhagen criteria relating primarily to democracy, human rights, and market economy. David believes that the EU member countries and the European Commission must be prepared to help the Ukrainian government complete all the reforms required for EU membership.
In response to The Day’s question whether it is possible to discuss a timeframe to gain admittance now that the European Parliament has instructed the European Commission to determine EU limits by the end of this year, including geographic borders, David said: “Ukraine is a European country and is abiding by the same values.” Therefore, the prospects for EU membership are in its hands.
“When a new candidate applies for membership, he must take into account and respect existing club rules. The club does not adjust to the new candidate. On the contrary, the candidate accepts the rules of the game that exist in this club. We must balance our interests. An important role is played by the economic level, which determines the scope of adaptation to the EU norms,” the expert pointed out.
