President of Ukraine Zelenskyy has signed a historic document in Kyiv on February 28, 2022 – an application for Ukraine’s membership in the European Union.
With this letter, Ukraine, as a European state that respects the values enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union, has the honor to apply for membership of the European Union, in accordance with Article 49 of the Treaty on European Union.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, answering the question about the mass solidarity actions that took place all over Europe in support of Ukraine, where on February 24 morning Russian troops invaded, said:
“Afterwards Ukraine must join the EU, this country is one of us, and we want to see it in the European family”.
She reminded that Ukraine is already involved in some European processes, such as the integration of the internal market into the EU single market, as well as in the energy sector.
In the interview, von der Leyen stressed the unprecedented cooperation and cohesion of all democratic countries – Great Britain, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Australia and others.
“This shows that we stand together to defend democracy in Europe. It is important that we defend a peaceful order, a rules-based order. We must be clear: The EU will not tolerate the trampling of our values on European soil,” she said.
What will membership in the EU bring to Ukrainian citizens?
Ukraine felt the first benefits of future membership in 2017, when it received a visa-free regime.
The Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine collected the main benefits of EU membership for the citizens of Ukraine:
Currently, the application for Ukraine’s membership in the EU under the accelerated procedure has now been accepted.
