“It’s really a long and technical process,” Schrenemacher said during the time he was asking questions in the lower house of Ukraine’s potential EU membership. First, the European Commission will issue its opinion on the wishes of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. This advice is expected to be given in June. After that, the EU member states will look into the matter.

“The Copenhagen criteria remain central,” Schrenimacher says. These standards address issues such as the rule of law, freedom of the press, and human rights. Only if European standards are met, should Ukraine be allowed to become a member. According to experts, this does not appear to be the case for long. “We are waiting for the European Commission’s opinion,” said VV de Schrenemacher, a minister. “It is not that Ukraine will become a member of the European Union today and tomorrow. There are no detours or abbreviations†

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Various parties in the lower house believe von der Leyen has gone too far by promising Ukraine a quick tip. MP Vicky Maeijer has stated that von der Leyen should resign for this reason. D66 member Sjoerd Sjoerdsma believes the European Commission president has “done a good job”.

“Overall, von der Leyen does what she can and does it very well,” says Schrenimacher. She also said that the Cabinet is looking into the possibility of “deepening” the association agreement with Ukraine. This can be done by eliminating tariffs on some products.