Austrian Foreign Minister opposed Ukraine's membership in the European Union
08:30, 24.04.2022
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In his opinion, Ukraine can join the EU Single Economic Area or simply maintain the current level of the Association Agreement.
Ukraine should not be offered EU membership in the near future.
This statement was made by Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, speaking at the 14th European Media Summit in Lech am Arlberg, European Truth reports.
In particular, the minister believes that Ukraine should not receive candidate status in June, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expects.
He explained his opinion by the fact that there are states of the Western Balkans that have gone a much longer way to the candidacy.
In turn, the Austrian edition of Heute cites Schallenberg's words that Ukraine, in principle, should not become a full member of the EU in the future. He spoke in favor of a different path for Ukraine.
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According to the minister, there should be other models than Ukraine's accession to the EU, for example, joining the EU Single Economic Area or simply maintaining the current level of the Association Agreement. Schallenberg called for greater flexibility in the search for mechanisms for rapprochement between Ukraine and the EU.
At the same time, he supported the further deepening of EU relations with Ukraine. "We are exporting our Western way of life," he explained.
Schallenberg also ruled out a return to pre-war relations with Russia as long as Vladimir Putin is at the helm.
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As UNIAN reported earlier, on February 28, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed an application for Ukraine's membership in the European Union.
On March 1, the European Parliament supported a resolution granting Ukraine the status of an EU candidate country. This resolution is submitted to the competent decision-making institutions of the European Union and all member countries of the community. The resolution is advisory in nature.
www.wsj.com
