What are the hurdles for Ukraine's EU membership?
2/3/2023 4:54:57 PM
President Volodymyr Zelensky wants negotiations on joining the EU to start "this year" - although there appear to be a number of hurdles in the way of it fully signing up to the bloc.
Ukraine was granted official EU candidate status last June, following Russia's full-scale invasion in February.
But that doesn't bring any guarantee of a swift join-up, as Albania and North Macedonia will tell you. Both countries have been stuck in this proverbial waiting-room for years.
Last year, French President Emmanuel Macron said it could take "decades" for Kyiv to achieve full membership.
The EU wants Ukraine to crack down on corruption, believing this to be an entrenched issue. President Zelensky recently launched an anti-corruption drive.
As for Russia - it shrugged off Ukraine's assumption of candidate status last year, but it has long opposed any effort by Ukraine to foster closer ties with the West. President Putin once described Russians and Ukrainians as "one people, a single whole".
Ukraine was granted official EU candidate status last June, following Russia's full-scale invasion in February.
But that doesn't bring any guarantee of a swift join-up, as Albania and North Macedonia will tell you. Both countries have been stuck in this proverbial waiting-room for years.
Last year, French President Emmanuel Macron said it could take "decades" for Kyiv to achieve full membership.
The EU wants Ukraine to crack down on corruption, believing this to be an entrenched issue. President Zelensky recently launched an anti-corruption drive.
As for Russia - it shrugged off Ukraine's assumption of candidate status last year, but it has long opposed any effort by Ukraine to foster closer ties with the West. President Putin once described Russians and Ukrainians as "one people, a single whole".