It usually takes many years for a country to become a full member of the EU. Turkey, for example, applied as early as 1987 and has been an official EU candidate since December 12, 1999. The country is still not a member of the EU. “Express way” to membership EU President Ursula von der Leyen wants to give Ukraine a faster way to membership due to the dramatic situation the country is in. She asks the member states of the union to be flexible and work for Ukraine to enter in the EU in less time than usual. Von der Leyen says the EU has a duty to help Ukraine on its way to EU membership after the invasion on 24 February. – Supporting Ukraine on the country’s path into the EU is not a burden. That is our historical responsibility, says the head of the European Commission. She said this on Thursday night when she attended an international security conference in the Slovak capital Bratislava, writes The Guardian. Ursula von der Leyen says the EU has a moral duty to support Ukraine’s EU application. The photo is from when she was in Kyiv on April 8. Photo: STRINGER / AFP Von der Leyen said in his speech that Ukraine must meet all the necessary standards and conditions to be able to become a member. – Moral duty The head of the EU Commission says it is in the EU’s strategic interest, but also the EU’s moral duty to make it possible for Ukraine to become a member. In his latest daily video speech, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has also reiterated his call for Ukraine to join the EU. The president hopes that Ukraine will become an official EU candidate after the union summit later in June. – It is very important, we are waiting for the answer from the EU within a few weeks. We are very much looking forward to being an EU candidate, says Zelensky. On April 8, the President of the European Commission visited Zelensky in Kyiv. He then made it clear that Ukraine has a goal of becoming a full member of the EU. “Russia will decay, while Ukraine will march towards a European future, that is how I see it,” said Ursula von der Leyen in Kyiv. During the visit, von der Leyen said that it usually takes several years to become a member, but that she will prioritize a faster process for Ukraine. – Mentally, we have been a part of Europe for a long time Ten days after Ursula von der Leyen’s visit to Ukraine, President Zelensky submitted the formal EU application. “Mentally, our people have been part of Europe for a long time,” said Zelensky. The application is the first step on the road to EU membership. The Ukrainian president met with EU envoy Matti Maasika on April 18 and handed over two volumes of answers to questions about EU membership. Ukraine’s chief of staff, Andrij Jermak, says Ukraine hopes to gain candidate status after the EU summit in June. After that, negotiations on admission should begin, and that process should be accelerated. Ukraine will become part of the EU, says Jermak. Volodymyr Zelenskyj and EU envoy Matti Maasikas during the presentation of the EU application. Photo: AA / ABACA / Abaca The fact that Ukraine is becoming an EU member has been a source of Russian frustration for several years. But after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, the country has stepped up efforts to gain EU membership. The process usually takes several years, but Zelenskyj has repeatedly asked for it to be expedited, which von der Leyen supports.
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– There is no burden to support Ukraine on its way into the EU – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
