Bloc of Germany's Merz sceptical over prospects of Ukraine joining EU
The Christian Social Union (CSU), the sister party of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democratic Union, has said there are doubts within its ranks about the prospects of Ukraine joining the EU.
Source: German TV news channel n-tv, as reported by European Pravda
Details: "We're cautious as we can clearly see that it would completely change the EU's nature," party leader Markus Söder said after a meeting of the CSU executive committee in Munich.
He believes that any move towards closer institutional integration of Ukraine with Europe would require a fundamental, entirely new reform treaty for the EU.
In Söder's view, the EU's current structures would not be sufficient to manage enlargement to include Ukraine. He cited agriculture as an example but added that other areas would face similar challenges, "hence the great reluctance".
This does not mean that the door for Ukraine is completely closed, Söder said, but in such a case, Europe would have to undergo a complete restructuring.
Background:
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that the EU and the US are close to an agreement on a prosperity plan for Ukraine based on five pillars: productivity, Ukraine's integration into the EU market, investment, donors and reforms.
- Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said EU leaders at an EU summit were presented with a confidential European Commission document that envisages Ukraine joining the European Union by 2027.
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