Berlin and Paris offer Ukraine an interim status in the EU, which will be the "shortest path" to full membership, FT reports. Most countries rejected the European Commission's idea of expedited EU membership for Ukraine.
Germany and France offer Ukraine a symbolic interim status during the country's preparation for full membership in the European Union, which excludes access to agricultural subsidies, the common budget, and the right to vote. This was reported on Monday, April 20, by the Financial Times, citing sources in Brussels.
Previously, the European Commission proposed granting Ukraine membership without meeting all the criteria required for EU accession.
According to this proposal, as Ukraine progresses in European integration, the country would gradually gain access to the financial and political programs of the EU typically available to full members.
As the Financial Times reports, the majority of EU member states are against this approach that would allow Kyiv to bypass years of slow and bureaucratic EU accession processes.
According to the publication, Germany insists on an 'associated member' interim status: it would allow Ukraine to participate in EU summits but would not grant voting rights or access to the common budget. France refers to such interim membership as 'integrated state status.'
Germany and France: Interim status is not an alternative to EU membership.
According to sources from the publication, the EU is unlikely to offer Ukraine a broader interim status. In the Ukrainian government, this model is referred to as 'shadow membership,' as noted by an anonymous official in Kyiv in a conversation with the Financial Times.
France and Germany have prepared relevant documents detailing the model they propose, writes the Financial Times. It suggests that Berlin and Paris see Ukraine's interim membership in the EU as having 'symbolic value' and as 'noteworthy progress' for the country's residents.
Both countries also emphasize that interim membership is 'not an alternative to full membership' but represents 'the shortest path to it,' notes the Financial Times, referencing the text of the documents.
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