Plenkovic warned that rapid full membership is unlikely, but praised progress on the 90 billion euro support package. He urged partners to keep momentum.
The Prime Minister of Croatia, Andrej Plenković, spoke to the European Council in Cyprus about the prospects for Ukraine’s rapid accession to the EU and stressed the importance of progress in support from partners. He expressed satisfaction that Hungary and Slovakia agreed to remove obstacles to providing Ukraine with a loan of €90 billion.
Plenković noted that he had a very good conversation with the future Prime Minister of Hungary, Péter Medgyessy, and expressed expectations for effective cooperation within the 27 EU member states, especially regarding Ukraine.
The most important, in his words, is the allocation of the €90 billion package: €60 billion for defense and €30 billion for the functioning of the Ukrainian state.
The next step, he said, is to discuss advancing the EU enlargement process, which Hungary had previously blocked as well.
Prospects and Realities of Ukraine’s EU Membership
«There were some reservations from Hungary. Whether they are now lifted – we’ll see when the new prime minister takes office»
– Andrej Plenković
Plenković stressed that Ukraine needs strong security guarantees that go beyond the EU, given the experience of the Budapest Memorandum.
«I spoke about this during a visit to Kyiv. We are the newest member of the EU and we know how challenging this process is. Until now no cluster has been opened, and now it is almost May. No enlargement has happened quickly enough to finish it within seven months. Even in the case of Croatia, which moved fairly quickly, negotiations lasted six years – from 2005 to 2011. Therefore full membership within eight months is unlikely, but we support Ukraine»
– Andrej Plenković
Continuing the discussion, he stressed that full membership within a short timeframe is unlikely, but Croatia supports Ukraine and aims to provide Kyiv with a clear prospect of membership with interim, creative steps within the EU.
The EU and Ukraine welcomed the decision on the €90 billion loan, underscoring the importance of closing financial gaps and the support from partners to stabilize Ukraine’s economy and defense capabilities.
