Macron proposes new political union for non-EU countries
ABC News
France’s president has warned that decades could pass before Ukraine joins the European Union, and is proposing a new political organization to bring together countries on the continent that share the bloc’s values but are not part of the EU
BRUSSELS -- France’s president warned Monday that decades could pass before Ukraine joins the European Union, and proposed a new political organization to bring together countries on the continent that share EU values but are not part of the bloc.
During a speech marking Europe Day in Strasbourg, France, Emmanuel Macron said that “we all know perfectly that the process of allowing (Ukraine) to join would take several years, in fact probably several decades."
Macron spoke after the European Union's executive arm, the European Commission, said it aims to deliver a first opinion in June on Ukraine’s request to become a member of the bloc.
Once candidate status is granted, the process of EU membership usually takes years and any single member-state can veto not only any final accession deal, but also the opening and closing of individual negotiation chapters.
