Merz proposed granting Ukraine the status of “associate member” of the EU

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz proposed granting Ukraine the new status of “associate member” of the European Union as a temporary stage towards full membership.

Spiegel reports this, citing its own sources.

According to the publication, Merz outlined his idea in a letter to European leaders. He emphasized that EU enlargement is a “geopolitical necessity,” but the accession process itself remains lengthy.

“We need a new impetus for Ukraine, the Western Balkans, and Moldova,” the Chancellor noted.

Merz stressed that Ukraine is in a special situation due to the war, but has already made significant progress towards EU membership.

The proposed “associate member” status provides Ukraine with broader rights and obligations than standard candidate status. Specifically, this includes:

• participation and voting rights in meetings of the EU Council and the European Council;
• participation without the right to vote in the work of the European Commission and the European Parliament;
• gradual integration into the EU budget;
• extension in Ukraine of Article 42.7 of the EU Treaty on Mutual Assistance and Defence;
• special format of participation in the work of the Court of Justice of the EU.

According to Merz’s plan, such a mechanism could also support the negotiation process on Ukraine initiated by the United States, as it includes elements of security guarantees.

At the same time, the Chancellor proposes to provide for the possibility of limiting these rights in the event of a rollback of reforms or Ukraine’s deviation from the fundamental values of the EU.

According to Spiegel, Merz proposes separate models for accelerated integration into the European Union for Moldova and the Western Balkan countries.

Earlier, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos called on EU countries to officially open all negotiating clusters on Ukraine and Moldova’s accession to the EU by summer.