EU shelves ‘reverse membership’ plan for Ukraine
European Commission (Photo: REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq)
EU
member states have rejected the European Commission’s proposal to grant
Ukraine a form of “reverse membership” as part of ongoing peace negotiations,
Euronews reported
on March 5, citing diplomatic sources.
Objections surfaced during an informal dinner on the evening of March 4 between EU ambassadors and Commission officials, one unnamed participant said.
“The idea behind that dinner was to bring back a certain degree of political realism,” the source said.
“Our priority is to firmly anchor Ukraine in Europe, but do so with feasible actions.”
Under the Commission’s proposal, Ukraine would formally become an EU member but initially lack most membership benefits, including voting rights, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), and cohesion funding programs. Those benefits would be extended gradually as Kyiv met required reforms and benchmarks, effectively reversing the usual accession trajectory.
Diplomats at the dinner met the concept with skepticism, and the lack of enthusiasm in the room suggested the idea was unlikely to move forward, one source said. Another diplomat criticized the Commission for fostering the “illusion” that enlargement could be purely political rather than merit based.
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