EU must avoid another "enlargement fatigue" - Ukraine’s Vice PM

This was stated by the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Olha Stefanishyna, who spoke at press conference at the European Commission repsesentative office in Vienna on Thursday

"This is not the option we consider. I think it is a demand of many people who are expecting this decision. This decision is not only for Ukraine or for other enlargement countries. This is also a decision for EU itself, which will secure the clarity for all the next year, with the elections and with the many other processes, in terms of the financial framework, in terms of the priorities in different policies, and in terms of enlargement," Stefanishyna said, commenting on the question of what it would mean for Ukraine not to see a positive decision on accession talks at the EU summit in December.

She recalled that earlier, the European Union already experienced a fatigue from enlargement. "So everybody understands how does it look and how does it happen. So that's why the decision should be taken, to avoid swinging back to this enlargement fatigue and sticking to promises that EU should be enlarged," added the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine.

Against this background, she emphasized that Ukraine is one of the largest markets outside the EU and therefore the European Union will only benefit from absorbing this, becoming "the largest global single market".

Alongside this, Stefanishyna pointed out that currently it is only about the start of accession negotiations, and not about as such. "It's just whether those steps are taken already now or a bit at a later stage. I believe that from all the eight countries of enlargement, the decision should be made. These decisions are only taken to another level of the process, opening another area of negotiations," she said.

The Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine noted that the future of Europe and the place of Ukraine in it was on the agenda of her meeting in Vienna with the Minister of EU Affairs and the Constitution of Austria Karoline Edtstadler. " we were conveying a very, very clear message on the necessity to take this window of opportunity to take this moment before the end of this year to give a green light to those countries who are aspiring to join EU, to preserve this positive momentum of enlargement, to preserve this clear message that broader Europe is a secure Europe," she said.

As reported earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky said the decision to start negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the European Union in December would be motivating and mobilizing for Ukrainians.

On November 8, the European Commission recommended that the European Council open negotiations on the accession of Ukraine and Moldova to the EU. She also recommended, under certain conditions, to open negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina and grant the status of a candidate country to Georgia.

On December 14, the European Council is expected to consider the issue of launching accession negotiations with Ukraine.