Mertz Wants to Grant Ukraine a Special Status in the EU
Chancellor Friedrich Merz proposed granting Ukraine a special EU "associate member" status, enhancing security guarantees and integration without full membership or voting rights, to accelerate accession talks.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) proposed granting Ukraine a special status as a “partner member” of the EU. This also includes extending the EU’s security clause to Ukraine, “to establish a substantive security guarantee,” according to a letter from the chancellor cited by the news agency dpa.
In return, Kyiv would have to fully align its foreign policy with that of the EU. “It would not be a light form of membership but would far exceed the current association agreement and further accelerate the accession process.”
It is equally possible for representatives from Kyiv to participate without full membership rights and voting rights in the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the European Court of Justice.
Moreover, Ukraine could attend the meetings of the European Council and the Council of the EU as an observer. In this way, the country would come “significantly closer to the European Union and its institutions.”
At the same time, funding programs under the EU’s direct management could gradually be opened with protective clauses. Apart from this exception, Ukraine would be excluded from the EU budget.
Ukraine has been a candidate for EU membership since 2022
Merz emphasized that the current accession negotiations would not be replaced in this way. Given that immediate regular accession is considered unrealistic, the EU should “immediately and without delay” discuss all matters related to membership.
For other candidates such as Albania, Montenegro, and Moldova, the chancellor also proposed “innovative solutions” to gradually encourage the necessary reforms. These include special access to the internal market and closer participation in the decision-making process.
In February, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky linked a possible peace agreement to a specific date for EU accession (reported by JF). Since 2005, Ukraine has sought EU membership, and after the Russian invasion in 2022, it officially became a candidate country with an accelerated process.
Source: Junge Freiheit
