Last night, the leader of Ukraine – President Zelensky signed an application to join the EU. Initially, the President of the European Commission (EC) Ursula von der Leyen said that although the EU had refused in the past, in the context of the military conflict between Kyiv (Kiev) and Moscow, “the EU wanted Ukraine to join, to get military help and protect the citizens”. However …
However, other EU leaders said other European countries wishing to join the EU often face a long and complicated process. Because the EU requires major social and economic reforms to meet EU standards. For example, commitments related to GDP per capita, economic openness, democracy, public debt ratio, etc…
Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands are the economic pillars of Europe
An economist at the University of Cambridge, the UK said that “It is very difficult at this time for Ukraine to join the EU because Ukraine’s GDP per capita is only one-tenth of the EU average.”
“This will put a burden on Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands… – the economic pillars. The member states in Eastern Europe and the Baltic are the burdens of the EU. Ukraine is a bigger burden. This country is too poor when compared to Estonia, Lithuania, or Romania. Joining the EU is unthinkable.”
How much nominal GDP of every European country has to change to equalize GDP per capita across Europe? Moldova and Ukraine are poorest countries in Europe. Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, and Switzerland are the richest
In addition, Ukraine must demonstrate that its finances are moving in a direction that could accept the EURO.
The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Polic – Josep Borrell, said that “any country that wants to become a member could take “lots of years”. Currently, the EU’s lowest GDP per capita member is Bulgaria with 10,000 USD / year, while Ukraine only achieves one-third of Bulgaria. That figure is too low to be accepted!”.
Ukraine is currently the poorest country in Europe and has its GDP per capita is lower than Vietnam.
Ukraine has spent more than 10 years negotiating to join the EU. However, joining the EU is extremely strict, stricter than NATO. It is not easy for Ukraine to join in the near future.
Currently, the country which is the closest to being a new member of the EU is Serbia, which has only negotiated/completed 4/35 EU chapters of requirements. Serbia is much less developed than its former Yugoslav neighbor – Croatia. Ukraine has not completed any chapter yet.
Serbia has a better future than Ukraine in Joining the EU
