Kachka says Merz letter keeps Ukraine on track for full EU membership

Kachka made the remarks at a briefing after the 11th meeting of the Ukrainian-Polish intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation.

He said Merz’s letter calls for all negotiation clusters to be opened immediately, removing the main risk that the proposal could become an alternative to Ukraine’s full EU membership.

“The issue set out in Chancellor Merz’s letter to European Union institutions is complex. The most important point in this letter is the emphasis on Ukraine’s full membership in the European Union and the call for the immediate and urgent opening of all clusters in the negotiations. For us, this is the most important goal today,” Kachka said.

Kachka also said Merz’s letter makes clear that all the ideas it contains are meant to help Ukraine integrate as quickly as possible and move toward full EU membership in whatever format is agreed.

“So the main risk that this is about some potential alternatives has been removed,” Kachka said.

Spiegel reported on May 21 that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz proposed in a letter to EU leaders that Ukraine be granted a special “associate member” status in the European Union, with expanded rights and security guarantees before full accession to the bloc.

Merz’s proposed “associate member” status would provide broader rights and obligations than those given to candidate countries under the standard accession process, including:

• Ukraine’s participation and voting rights at meetings of the Council of the EU and the European Council, as well as participation without voting rights in the work of the European Commission and the European Parliament;
• gradual integration into the EU budget;
• application of Article 42.7 of the Treaty on European Union on mutual defense and assistance to provide Ukraine with additional security guarantees;
• a seat at the Court of Justice of the EU with the position of assistant rapporteur, the lowest judicial post.

Ukraine’s EU accession

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on May 11 that all six negotiation clusters for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union could be opened as early as this summer.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly stressed that Ukraine expects to join the European Union by 2027. He has also rejected the idea of “symbolic” advantages for Ukraine, saying Kyiv deserves full membership in the European Union.

At the same time, several countries have opposed “shortcuts” to accession, including Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, as well as Poland and Hungary. They stress that a candidate country must meet strict criteria, including on the rule of law and the fight against corruption.

European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said on March 24 that Ukraine would not be able to become an EU member in 2027.