Merz proposed admitting Ukraine to the EU as an associate member
German Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz proposed introducing a new interim status for Ukraine — that of an associate member — to accelerate its integration into the European Union, Deutsche Welle reports .
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Friedrich Merz. Photo: AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi
The main idea of this proposal is for Ukraine to be able to integrate into EU structures more quickly and closely, but without the full rights of a member. This means that the country could participate in meetings of various EU institutions, but without voting rights and without the ability to influence final decisions.
At the same time, Merz believes that full membership for Ukraine is unrealistic in the near future. He explains this by the large number of obstacles and complex ratification procedures in EU countries, which could delay the process for many years. Therefore, he proposes not to wait for the completion of accession, but to begin deep integration now.
According to his proposal, Ukraine could participate in meetings of the Council of the EU and the European Council, but without the right to vote. It also envisages the participation of Ukrainian representatives in the European Commission and the European Parliament as non-voting observers, as well as special participation in the European Court of Justice.
It is separately emphasized that such a status does not require a full legal accession procedure or amendment of EU treaties — a political agreement between countries is sufficient.
Financially, Ukraine would initially not pay contributions to the EU budget and would not receive direct payments from it, but access to certain programs could gradually open up. A phased introduction of European legislation is also proposed.
An important element is security: Merz proposes that EU countries take on the obligation of mutual assistance to Ukraine in case of threats, which should become an additional guarantee of protection during the war. He also suggests bringing Ukraine's foreign and defense policy as close as possible to that of the EU.
In addition, the proposal includes a clause on the possibility of revoking this status if Ukraine violates core EU values or significantly deviates from reforms.
For other EU candidates, such as Albania, Montenegro, and Moldova, Merz proposes other forms of accelerated integration, but not an identical status.
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