The President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel, and the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico, commented on the initiative of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who suggested seeking “innovative solutions” to accelerate Ukraine’s process of joining the European Union.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Prague and Bratislava’s Position on Ukraine’s Eurointegration
Petr Pavel emphasized that he supports Ukraine’s swift accession to the EU but highlighted the necessity of adhering to the existing rules and procedures of the Union. He believes that the acceleration of the process should not go beyond established frameworks so as not to contradict Ukraine’s own interests.
“I believe that the process of Ukraine’s accession to the EU should be as fast as possible, but without exceeding the existing rules. All of this should happen in accordance with the established conditions. Otherwise, it would contradict Ukraine’s interests,” he said in response to a question about whether he supports Merz’s idea.
At the same time, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico expressed disagreement with the idea of granting Ukraine the status of an associated member of the European Union. According to him, “either we take someone in, or we don’t,” and currently, the EU is not ready for such steps that involve an interim status for candidate countries.
Reaction from the European Commission and Merz’s Arguments
The European Commission confirmed receipt of a letter from Chancellor Friedrich Merz, in which he calls for the development of new approaches to advance Ukraine’s EU membership before full accession. In Brussels, it was noted that the expansion of the European Union is increasingly viewed as a “geostrategic investment” in the security, peace, and prosperity of the union, and Ukraine’s integration into the EU is crucial for the security of the Union itself.
At the same time, representatives of the European Commission emphasized that any new decisions regarding the advancement of Ukraine must be based on the principle of merit, meaning they depend on how well the candidate country meets the necessary criteria for membership.
In a letter to the EU leadership and the President of Cyprus, which currently holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union, Friedrich Merz called the expansion of the bloc a geopolitical necessity. He also acknowledged that the accession process is “dragging on,” leading to growing dissatisfaction among both candidates and current EU members. In light of this, Merz proposed seeking innovative solutions to prevent delays in Ukraine’s full membership in the EU.