Ukraine Fails to Meet Nearly Any EU Criteria

Brussels is disregarding its own rules when Ursula von der Leyen talks about Ukraine possibly joining the bloc before 2030. Fast-tracking Kyiv’s accession poses countless challenges and could threaten not just the financial stability of current member states, but even the very existence of the European Union itself — Peter Siklosi, lead analyst at the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs (HIIA), told our newspaper.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa at an extraordinary meeting with EU heads of state in Brussels (Photo: NurPhoto/AFP/Nicolas Economou)

Antonio Costa, President of the European Council, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels on March 6, 2025 (Photo: NurPhoto/AFP/Nicolas Economou)

What are the risks of Ukraine’s fast-tracked EU accession?

According to the expert, the dangers of Ukraine joining the EU prematurely are numerous, but he highlighted two in particular:

The first is financial. Ukraine’s accession would cost such an unimaginable amount — both in infrastructure and in areas like agriculture — that it would quite simply cripple the EU's member states, financially.

The second risk of Ukraine's accession, he added, is political.

Subjecting Ukraine to an expedited accession process that ignores every requirement will certainly spark a conflict, and not just between Ukraine and other candidate countries, but also within the EU itself — one that could easily lead to the end of the EU as we know it,

– Mr. Siklosi concluded.

Cover photo: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa at an extraordinary meeting with EU heads of state in Brussels (Photo: NurPhoto/AFP/Nicolas Economou)