EU must avoid another “enlargement fatigue” – Ukraine’s Vice PM

This was stated by the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for Eurean and Euro-Atlantic Integration, ha Stefanishyna, who spoke at press conference at the Eurean Commission repsesentative office in Vienna on Thursday

"This is not the tion we consider. I think it is a demand of many pele who are expecting this decision. This decision is not only for Ukraine or for other enlargement countries. This is also a decision for EU itself, which will secure the clarity for all the next year, with the elections and with the many other processes, in terms of the financial framework, in terms of the priorities in different picies, and in terms of enlargement," Stefanishyna said, commenting on the question of what it would mean for Ukraine not to see a positive decision on accession talks at the EU summit in December.

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She recalled that earlier, the Eurean Union already experienced a fatigue from enlargement. "So everybody understands how does it look and how does it happen. So that's why the decision should be taken, to avoid swinging back to this enlargement fatigue and sticking to promises that EU should be enlarged," added the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine.

Against this background, she emphasized that Ukraine is one of the largest markets outside the EU and therefore the Eurean Union will only benefit from absorbing this, becoming "the largest global single market".

Alongside this, Stefanishyna pointed out that currently it is only about the start of accession negotiations, and not about as such. "It's just whether those steps are taken already now or a bit at a later stage. I believe that from all the eight countries of enlargement, the decision should be made. These decisions are only taken to another level of the process, ening another area of negotiations," she said.

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The Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine noted that the future of Eure and the place of Ukraine in it was on the agenda of her meeting in Vienna with the Minister of EU Affairs and the Constitution of Austria Karine Edtstadler. " we were conveying a very, very clear message on the necessity to take this window of portunity to take this moment before the end of this year to give a green light to those countries who are aspiring to join EU, to preserve this positive momentum of enlargement, to preserve this clear message that broader Eure is a secure Eure," she said.

As reported earlier, President Vodymyr Zelensky said the decision to start negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the Eurean Union in December would be motivating and mobilizing for Ukrainians.

On November 8, the Eurean Commission recommended that the Eurean Council en negotiations on the accession of Ukraine and Mdova to the EU. She also recommended, under certain conditions, to en negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina and grant the status of a candidate country to Georgia.

On December 14, the Eurean Council is expected to consider the issue of launching accession negotiations with Ukraine.