Northern Europe pushes Brussels to speed up Ukraine EU entry process

Six Northern European countries urged Brussels to develop concrete proposals for advancing Ukraine’s EU accession process amid Hungary’s attempts to block the country’s membership.

Ukraine’s path to European Union membership began in earnest on 28 February 2022, just four days after Russia’s full-scale invasion, when Ukraine officially applied for EU membership. This application was driven by Ukraine’s desire for closer alignment with Western nations, economic modernization, and enhanced security in the face of Russian aggression.

According to a joint letter from senior diplomats from Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia obtained by Politico, the nations are pushing for faster integration.

“Reaffirming full and unequivocal commitment to the perspective of Ukraine’s EU membership, we call for accelerating the accession process. The time has come for ambitious and effective decisions in this regard,” the letter states.

While European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has publicly suggested Ukraine could join the bloc by 2030, the signatories want measures taken to ensure this actually happens.

The diplomats emphasized that Ukraine has demonstrated “significant progress in reforms,” and it’s now time for the EU to “mobilize efforts” to help Kyiv.

The letter stresses that the accession process should be “predictable and based on own merits,” while “bilateral issues that contradict the Union’s general strategic interests should not be used to block progress, but resolved through good-faith dialogue” — an apparent reference to Hungary’s opposing position.

Previously, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that only one country—Hungary—is currently blocking Ukraine’s accession to the European Union.

Meanwhile, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán organized a national referendum in his country regarding support for Ukraine’s EU membership, with a simple “yes” or “no” ballot question.

Regarding Ukraine’s EU integration progress, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen noted in November 2023 that Ukraine had completed 90% of the reforms expected by the EU to advance toward membership.

A significant milestone was reached on 14 December 2023, when the European Council decided to open accession negotiations with Ukraine, though Ukraine still needed to implement four additional recommendations. 

The formal opening of these negotiations took place on 25 June, 2024, marking the official start of Ukraine’s EU accession process. 

Throughout this period, Ukraine has been implementing reforms in various sectors to meet EU standards, with the goal of potentially joining the EU by 2029.

EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Maternova called Ukraine’s EU accession by 2030 a “realistic timeframe.”