EU "Ukraine's accession faces disagreements among member states... Must be decided unanimously"

EU Leaders Agree on Additional Sanctions Against Russia Over 'Ukraine Invasion'
(Brussels AP=Yonhap News) Emmanuel Macron (left), President of France, held a press conference after the EU summit in Brussels, Belgium, on the 25th (local time) together with Charles Michel (center), President of the European Council, and Ursula von der Leyen (right), President of the European Commission. The leaders of the 27 EU member states agreed on additional sanctions targeting Russia's invasion of Ukraine, covering the financial, energy, transportation, and export sectors. February 25, 2022
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[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Lee Jun-hyung] As Ukraine has expressed its intention to join the European Union (EU), conflicts of opinion have arisen among EU member states.

According to major foreign media on the 28th (local time), Charles Michel, President of the EU Summit, appeared on French broadcaster BFM TV and said, "There are disagreements among the 27 member states regarding Ukraine's EU membership." Michel stated, "Ukraine must submit an official application for EU membership," adding, "Then the member states will decide unanimously whether to approve or reject it."

Michel said, "We have already made agreements with Ukraine and need to expedite their implementation," adding, "We will strengthen economic and political ties with Ukraine." He continued, "We seek a close relationship with the Ukrainian administration led by President Volodymyr Zelensky," and added, "He already attended the EU summit last week, and we will invite him again."

EU membership is a long-cherished goal of Ukraine. In February 2019, Ukraine set EU membership as a major national objective through constitutional amendment, but it has yet to even become a candidate country.

Earlier, President Zelensky of Ukraine repeatedly expressed his intention to join the EU since the threat of Russian invasion intensified. He also urged for the swift processing of Ukraine's EU membership.

The problem is that even with the support of EU member states, the accession process typically takes more than a year. In the case of Croatia, which became an EU member in 2013, it reportedly took about 10 years from expressing the intention to join to final accession.