2023-12-15 19:04:28
The heads of state and government of the EU have decided to start accession negotiations with Ukraine, which was shaken by Russia’s attack, and also with the Republic of Moldova. When and how is unclear. It’s going to be a long road.
Andreas Mihm
Economic correspondent for Austria, East Central and Southeast Europe and Turkey based in Vienna.
Ultimately, each of the 27 member states must agree, including the rejecting Hungarians. The question is whether the EU can cope with the accession of a large, poor and war-torn country like Ukraine and whether the country is even capable of making the necessary adjustments.
The economists at the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (WIIW), which focuses on Eastern Europe, came to a clear conclusion in a recently presented study: “Ukraine’s accession to the EU is feasible,” they write. Miriam Kosmehl, an Eastern Europe expert at the Bertelsmann Foundation, which was involved in the study, even dares to say by when: “Based on the pace of reform in previous accession countries, Ukraine would be institutionally ready for EU accession in about ten years.”
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