The European Parliament doubted Ukraine’s accession to the EU until 2029

Ukraine’s accession to the European Union is impossible during the next convocation of the European Parliament, which will end in 2029, impossible, Deputy Chairman of the European Parliament Katarina Barley told reporters.

“If we don’t change anything else in the European Union, I don’t see it <...> We must think not only about Ukraine, but also about the European Union, which should also be able to accept this country,” leads her words TASS.

According to the parliamentarian, now Ukraine does not meet any of the criteria for EU membership, but the unification should give Kyiv a chance to join and change itself for this.

Ukraine declared its European orientation back in the 1990s, and the question of associate membership in the EU became the formal reason for the Euromaidan of 2013–2014. After his victory in 2014, the Ukrainian authorities enshrined the course towards Euro-Atlantic integration in the constitution and took many steps to become a candidate for membership of the European Union.

Kyiv submitted documents to join the EU at the end of February 2022. Four months later, the country officially became a candidate for membership in the organization. A year later, according to European Commissioner for Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi, the Ukrainian authorities fulfilled two of the seven conditions for EU membership – they reformed the High Council of Justice and the High Qualifications Commission of Judges and adopted a law on the media. In addition, the authorities have enshrined the desire for Ukraine to join the union in the country’s constitution.