France and Germany have put forward an initiative to grant Ukraine «symbolic» membership in the European Union. The proposal envisages limited rights for Ukraine, with no access to the EU budget and no say in decision-making.
Details of the French and German proposals
Pros. data Financial Times, France and Germany are considering a new format for Ukraine EU membership. This is the so-called «symbolic» membership, which does not provide full rights and financial benefits for the candidate country.
According to the proposal, Ukraine will not have access to the EU budget and will not have a say in the decision-making process. This restriction will remain in place until the country's full accession to the EU.
Participation in EU programmes and meetings
Despite the restrictions, Ukraine may be allowed to participate in certain meetings and individual EU programmes. This approach will allow Kyiv to integrate into some areas of EU activity even before becoming a full member.
Financial payments and basic rights of member states are planned to be postponed until all procedures for Ukraine's full accession to the EU are completed.
Context and reactions
The French and German initiative comes amid ongoing discussions on the future of the EU enlargement. So far, there has been no official reaction from the Ukrainian authorities to this proposal.
The proposal does not specify when this membership format could be implemented. For Ukraine, the issue of European integration remains one of the key directions of its foreign policy.
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