Ukraine’s EU Membership and the Geostrategy of Democratic Self-Preservation

Richard Youngs considers the changing possibilities for EU membership for the newly-dubbed Association Trio, Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia. The war has placed their membership firmly back on the agenda of the EU, though any decision over future enlargement will require substantial considerations, and the three countries themselves recognise that there is still work to be done on their governance practices before they can qualify to join. The author makes suggestions as to how the EU can rethink its approach to accession, notably by moving away from an economics- and regulation-led approach and more towards a directly political one, with the instruments adjusted accordingly.

Read the full piece here in Carnegie Europe.