Ukraine in the EU ‘house’
Despite ongoing challenges, Mathernová remains hopeful that the potential for some form of EU membership by 2027 could sustain Ukrainians’ determination. According to a POLITICO report, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen suggested the idea of “reverse enlargement” to secure Ukraine’s place in the EU, even if it hasn’t fully met accession requirements or faces resistance from Hungary.
The EU “has always been very creative in terms of finding legal and institutional workarounds to difficult situations historically,” she stated, citing the “variable geometry” of systems like Schengen and the eurozone, which comprise some full EU members but not all.
Mathernová likened Ukraine’s potential inclusion to being welcomed into a house, “not all the rooms in the house being available immediately at the outset.”
The focus could remain on progressing “with the ultimate goal of having a full membership.” She added: “My understanding is that this is what colleagues in Brussels are working on.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has consistently rejected anything short of equality in EU membership, stating in November that “it has to be fully fledged.”
However, Mathernová believed Ukrainians might accept such an arrangement “if we don’t let various narratives and disinformation about it, like this is not a full membership, etc.,” become prevalent. “I think if it’s a matter of anchoring Ukraine in the EU as part of its peaceful future, I’m sure they would.”
Yet days after the interview, Mathernová was back to highlighting Ukraine’s current turmoil. On Facebook, with a video of her standing in the snow, she described a recent overnight attack:
345 drones
50 missiles of various kinds
12 ballistic missiles used just against Kyiv!
Leave a Reply