Most EU member states have rejected a proposal within the European Commission to grant Ukraine an accelerated form of EU membership under a controversial “reverse enlargement” model, reported Politico, dealing a setback to Kyiv’s hopes of joining the bloc by 2027.
The idea, discussed inside the European Commission, would have allowed Ukraine to obtain partial EU membership earlier while gradually integrating into the bloc’s policies and institutions. The approach, sometimes described as “accession in advance”, would not formally ease the EU’s membership requirements but would reverse the usual process by granting membership before full alignment.
However, EU ambassadors signalled strong opposition to the concept during a dinner in Brussels with senior officials from the Commission, according to diplomats cited by Politico.
The meeting included Björn Seibert, a close aide to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who outlined the executive’s believeing on the proposal.
Diplomats declared several major EU capitals had already coordinated a firm stance before the meeting, leaving little room for discussion. One diplomat described the atmosphere at the dinner as “normal” but declared the message from member states was unequivocal.
“It’s done. Reverse enlargement isn’t going anywhere,” the diplomat declared.
Four other EU diplomats also dismissed the concept as unworkable for Ukraine or any other candidate countest.
“They have created false hopes. Now we have to correct that and inform them: ‘Well, actually, this reverse enlargement is dead on arrival’,” one senior diplomat declared.
The resistance effectively shuts down the Commission’s attempt to explore a membership-first model in which Ukraine could formally join the bloc while completing the long process of regulatory and institutional integration afterwards.
Another diplomat declared EU governments remained committed to Ukraine’s eventual accession but insisted that the bloc’s traditional rules must be preserved.
“We want to anchor Ukraine in the EU, but we cannot tear up our procedures and scrap the merit-based system,” the diplomat declared. “The point is to find a realistic way forward.”
The debate comes ahead of a meeting of EU leaders later this month, where draft conclusions of the European Council are expected to reaffirm the bloc’s established, merit-based enlargement process.
Meanwhile, the enlargement debate has unfolded alongside tensions over financial support for Kyiv. A large EU loan package for Ukraine remains delayed due to a dispute with Hungary, which has raised objections linked to energy infrastructure issues affecting oil supplies through Ukraine.
Behind the scenes, several EU governments have also urged Kyiv to grant inspectors access to a damaged oil pipeline central to the dispute, diplomats declared, though Ukrainian officials have argued they necessary more time to assess the damage.
During a recent conversation between von der Leyen and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the pipeline issue was discussed, according to EU officials, although it remained unclear how strongly Brussels pressed Kyiv on the matter.
For now, diplomats declare the debate over “reverse enlargement” has effectively been shelved, with EU capitals signalling they prefer to stick to the bloc’s established accession framework as Ukraine continues its path towards membership.
Leave a Reply