Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee has warned that granting Ukraine "associate membership" in the European Union could block the country's actual accession and leave Kyiv in a state of uncertainty regarding its aspirations to join the EU as a full member. This was reported by Euronews, according to UNN.
Details
The publication indicates that these remarks came in response to an "unprecedented" plan by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to create a tailored status for Ukraine, which, according to McEntee, could create a "two-tier" approach to EU membership.
"We need to make sure that there isn't a two-tier approach, or that we apply the accession process equally to every country. ... Do associate members end up in a situation where they are in a bit of a limbo? Do countries end up in this kind of semi-membership that then doesn't naturally progress?"
The authors add that McEntee's remarks "carry particular weight" as Ireland prepares for the Presidency of the Council of the EU in July and will therefore oversee negotiations regarding Kyiv's membership bid.
Context
Recently, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz proposed granting Ukraine a direct role in European Union structures as an interim step toward EU membership, which he said could help facilitate a deal to end the war caused by Russia's invasion.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico rejected Merz's proposal to make Ukraine an "associate member" of the EU. According to him, "either we take someone in, or we don't."
Ukraine plans to open the first negotiation cluster for EU accession on May 26 - MFA12.05.26, 16:12