Deputy prime minister backs element of German chancellor's proposal on Ukraine's participation in EU institutions

Khrystyna Bondarieva — 22 May, 19:53

Stock photo: Getty Images

Taras Kachka, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, has said that Ukraine supports the element of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's proposal on "associate membership" that would allow participation in EU institutions before full accession to the European Union.

Source: Kachka in an interview with German newspaper FAZ, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Commenting on Merz's proposal, Kachka said that "anything that accelerates accession is useful for us".

"If, before the full ratification of the accession treaty, we are able to participate in the work of EU institutions as a special member, we support that," he noted.

Under Merz's proposal, Ukraine would be granted the right to participate in all EU summits and meetings of the Council of the EU, but only as an observer without voting rights. Ukraine would also receive a European Commissioner post, albeit with limited powers.

Meanwhile, Kachka stressed that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is calling for "politically rational steps".

Quote: "We cannot afford enlargement of the Union in the way it was conceived 20 years ago. We now live in a different reality. Ukraine supports accession based on results. We do not want shortcuts or to disregard certain rules. At the same time, there is Russia's aggression against Ukraine. I think we are increasingly moving towards an understanding of all the concepts currently on the table. But they must not distract from the main goal – full membership."

Background:

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha previously stopped short of either endorsing or rejecting Merz's proposal for a new framework of EU-Ukraine relations, while reiterating Kyiv's demand for full membership.
It was reported earlier that Merz has proposed the idea of "associate EU membership" for Ukraine as a temporary status that would partly address Kyiv's desire for rapid accession.

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