Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said on Friday that simplification of the general procedure for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union ( EU) would be a mistake.
He said that the process would take a lot of time and would require reforms in Ukraine.
On Feb. 28, Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a formal request for Ukraine to join the EU under the fast-track procedure.
The heads of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and the three Baltic countries had urged the EU to immediately grant Ukraine the status of a candidate country and launch the process of negotiations on its accession.
The procedure for joining the EU was prescribed, it is necessary to observe all the stages, neglect doing this would be a serious mistake.
There was an administrative, technical procedure, but there was also a political process.
We cannot close the way to those who consider the EU as a place of prosperity, stability and peace.
It is necessary to lean toward this direction in a political sense.
“But membership requires a lot of time and reforms,’’ De Croo said on the second day of the informal meeting of EU leaders in France.
On Feb. 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine after the breakaway Donbas Republics appealed for help in defending themselves against the Ukrainian military.
In response, Western nations had rolled out a comprehensive sanctions campaign against Moscow
