EU POINTS TO REFORMS TO WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

European Union leaders acknowledged Friday that just as aspiring members must meet exacting criteria to join the bloc, the 27 member nations also must work hard to reform the EU to make sure it can work smoothly with 30-plus nations.

Although Ukraine was hoping for a swift timetable for joining, the 27 leaders declined to adopt a target date of 2030 for Kyiv’s membership as had been proposed by EU Council President Charles Michel.

The group pledged unwavering support to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday, but the summit ended by saying that any aspiring member must complete the EU’s long and tortuous merit-based process that can last years or decades. Shortcuts for geopolitical reasons were ruled out.

“Aspiring members need to step up their reform efforts, notably in the area of rule of law, in line with the meritbased nature of the accession process,” said the joint declaration of the leaders. “In parallel, the Union needs to lay the necessary internal groundwork and reforms.”

Avoiding any target date for new members sidestepped a rift at the summit between those who want to draw Kyiv and other aspiring nations in as quickly as possible, and others that want the bloc to bide its time.

Most EU nations have said since the February 2022 start of the war that they would work steadfastly on a “lasting unity” with Ukraine that would eventually translate into Kyiv’s membership. This week, Hungarian President Viktor Orbán insisted that the whole idea should be rethought from scratch.