Ukraine Accession to the European Union: Modalities, Timeline and Perspectives

The 28th of February, as Russian troops marched into Ukraine, president Volodymyr Zelensky pleaded for his country to be granted European Union Membership. In a wave of solidarity with the people of Ukraine, the EU answered Zelensky's call and launched the initial steps of the enlargement process. Nevertheless, the road to EU membership is long, a process that must be thought through carefully. In the face of this difficultly, how can the EU's enlargement policy, long seen as a purely technical process, become the strategic geopolitical tool which the current context requires? With war at its doors, the EU must live up to the ambitions of its founders: maintaining peace and freedom in Europe. In the midst of this unprecedented challenge, we will reflect on the pertinent appreciation of Ukraine's candidacy, its normative, social and practical implications. Should EU countries consider Ukraine's EU membership as a part of a peaceful settlement to this unprovoked and illegal war? Would the decision to grant Ukraine candidate status is an investment in the stability of the region? And how will Ukraine's candidacy and membership influence trust and solidarity in EU member states and among EU citizens? The partnership between the Aspen Institute France and Aspen Institute Kiev will be the opportunity to discuss Ukraine's EU membership through a detailed understanding of the country. To this end, we will address the following questions. What does Ukraine bring to the EU? And how can be explained the overwhelming support for Ukraine's integration in the European Union prior to the Russian invasion? On the other hand, we will seek to identify the factors which feed skepticism and doubts of some Member states and the possible ways to address such reluctance. *** Participants *** - Jean-Luc Allavena: Chairman, Aspen Institute France - Jean-Dominique Giuliani: President, Robert Schuman Foundation - Elisabeth Guigou: Former Minister to European Affairs, Former Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee at the National Assembly - Anna Derevyanko: Executive Director, European Business Association (EBA) - Olga Stefanishyna: Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine - Yuliya Tychkivska: Executive Director, Aspen Institute Kyiv The debate will be moderated by Jean-Christophe Bas: Founder and CEO of the Global Compass, member of the executive board, Aspen Institute France *** When *** 13 June 2022 at 11.30 am to 1 pm *** Registration mandatory via the link *** This is an online event that will be held on Zoom.