Ukraine next EU member? Kyiv may get membership lifeboat amid sinking wartime fortunes

European Union leaders agreed to open membership talks with Ukraine, marking a significant political win for President Volodymyr Zelensky amid uncertainty over future of aid from the US and the collective West during its war with Russia.

European Council President Charles Michel announced the move Thursday (Dec 14) as EU leaders met for a summit in Brussels.

"A clear signal of hope for their people and for our continent," Michel wrote in a post on X.

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The European Council president said that thethe bloc also agreed to open accession talks with Moldova and granted candidate status to Georgia.

Also watch |Hungary blocks Ukraine's EU membership bid

So far, Hungary under Prime Minister Viktor Orban had opposed opening the membership talks and called for the removal of the topic from the summit agenda.

Ukraine's bid to be an EU member: A Timeline

On February 28, 2022, just four days after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced an offensive on Ukraine, Kyiv applied for EU membership.

On June 23, 2022, the European Council "recognised Ukraine's European perspective and granted the country candidate status", according to the 2023 Enlargement Packageissued by the European Union.

On 8 November 2023, as part of its Enlargement Package, the Commission published its report on Ukraine, recommending to open accession negotiations.

Ukraine as potential EU member: What does it mean?

Ukraine is continuing to face hurdles in clinching funding from both the United States and the EU to support its war against Russia. Even procedural progress at this point— after its failed counteroffensive and Russian belligerence on the frontline—on joining the bloc will boost morale in its bid to fight off Russia’s offensive.

But overall, the process to join the EU is lengthy and complicated. Croatia was the last country which joined the EU in 2013 and its accession process lasted ten years.

Why EU reopened accession negotiations with Ukraine?

In the 2023 enlargement communication, the European Commission said Ukraine had made substantial progress on addressing seven key reforms identified in 2022.

"The Commission considers that Ukraine sufficiently fulfils the criteria related to the stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for and protection of minorities," the EC said.

The report found that the country had established a transparent pre-selection system for Constitutional Court judges and had reformed judicial governance bodies.

It said Ukraine had developed its track record of high-level corruption investigations and convictions, and that it had taken positive steps in a wider and systemic effort to address the influence of oligarchs.

But as recently as November 2023, Ukrainian judges have been accused of graft in a number of cases that have disputed the claims of judicial reforms in Ukraine.

On Nov 30,the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office accused four judges from the Kyiv Court of Appeal of graft totalling $35,000.

Corruption remains rampant in Ukraine, with lawmakers, judges and governmentofficials having recently been charged. In 2022, Transparency International ranked Ukraine 116 out of 180 countries in terms of corruption.