Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said it is unlikely that Ukraine will become a member of the European Union by early 2027, as no negotiation chapters have been opened yet.
Plenković told reporters this at an informal meeting of EU member state leaders in Cyprus on Thursday, April 23.
"We support Ukraine's accession. I don't think it's realistic to expect this to happen on January 1, 2027 <...> As the newest members, we know how complex this comprehensive process is," Plenković noted.
According to him, it is practically May 1, and not a single negotiation cluster has been opened yet. At the same time, no bloc expansion process can be shortened enough to be completed in seven months.
Plenković recalled that Croatia’s EU accession process took six years — from 2005 to 2011.
He added that there is a general desire to accelerate Ukraine’s EU accession process; however, based on his knowledge and experience, full membership with all standard procedures within eight months is unlikely.
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, on April 20, the Financial Times wrote, citing its own sources, that France and Germany had called for granting Ukraine “symbolic” EU membership, under which it would have no voting rights or access to the bloc’s budget.
Earlier in April, Politico reported, citing sources, that four EU member states had opposed Ukraine’s accelerated membership.
Who we are: About us, Contacts. How we write news and our principles: Editorial code. We did our best. If you found this valuable – please support us.
To request a correction, please send an email.