At a European Council meeting in Versailles, the Netherlands has adopted a stance against the quick accession of Ukraine to the EU.
At the end of February, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked for an accelerated accession procedure for Ukraine. The Netherlands, however, along with other Western European countries, has put its foot down in disagreement.
Informal EU Summit
This week, world leaders arrived in Versailles. On top of the agenda of the EU Council meeting: the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the EU’s energy independence from Russia and the accession of Ukraine to the EU.
Zelenkskyy has handed in a hastily compiled application to join the EU. “Our goal is to be together with all Europeans,” he says, according to Politico.
But then there was the question of whether this was an acceptable procedure.
Ukraine pleads for accession, Netherlands says no
Usually, a country joining the EU can take years with long talks, negotiations and close monitoring of the applicant country preceding an accession.
Ukrainian president Zelenskyy has pleaded for a quick accession of Ukraine to the EU under a ‘new special procedure’.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte says: “This is a year-long procedure; we have to look at what we can do in the short term.”
The Netherlands is not alone in its opinion. Many Western European countries, including Germany and France, are opposed to a new and quicker accession procedure.