Rainder STEENBLOCK: “Ukraine’s membership in the EU is a question of progress rather than time”
Rainder Steenblock, a member of the German Bundestag and spokesman on European Affairs of the Parliamentary Group “Bundnis 90/Die Grunen,” believes that Ukraine is an important country for Germany, in particular as a transmitter of energy supplies from the Caspian Sea. In his opinion, it is important for people in Germany and the entire European Union to understand this.
Do Germans support Ukraine’s membership in the EU? What is the likely time frame for Ukraine’s entry into the European Union? The German MP answered these and other questions in the following interview with The Day.
“My party and I personally support Ukraine’s integration path to the EU. I am sure that we need to take further steps in this direction, even though we are not talking about membership negotiations yet. This is not on today’s agenda. We need to take steps to become closer to one another and prepare Ukraine for accepting the European heritage-aquis Communautaire. This also applies to twinning projects, improved regulation of the judicial system, as well as to economic and environmental issues. I believe Ukraine has no other alternative than to become close to the European Union and finally join the EU. In my opinion, it is very important to hold specific talks on the next steps in this direction. I hope that after the early elections, in the course of negotiations, the Ukrainian people will be able to reach agreement on the steps to be taken. The European Neighborhood Policy involves operations and financial tools. I believe that we need this not only for good neighborhood existence but also for closer cooperation with Ukraine as a future EU member.”
What do you think about the fact that Ukraine’s president and prime minister insist on including Ukraine’s membership prospect in the expanded EU-Ukraine Partnership and Cooperation Agreement?
“I have been watching the situation in Ukraine since the Orange Revolution. I think that things are changing for the better. There is no conflict over the ways and goals of Ukraine’s integration into the EU. All Ukrainian political parties share a common goal-Ukraine has to become part of the European Union. As far as these specific words are concerned, there are differences in how German parties view this matter. Public opinion in the EU countries is an extremely important factor in the perception of Ukraine in the European Union. Bilateral relations between Ukraine and Germany, for example, are also very important.”
Do Germans support Ukraine’s membership in the EU?
“If we are talking about today’s situation, I wouldn’t say so because we have had problems with integrating 10 new members, as well as economic problems in many European countries. I believe the support rate would not exceed 50 percent. But if we look into the future and ask whether Germans want to have close relations with Ukraine, I believe that everyone in Germany would agree with this. That is why we need time to convince our people that Ukraine is this kind of stable country that has to join the EU. You need time, specific steps, and support in this direction. So I believe that the majority of German politicians will support this path and have very concrete relations with Ukraine. But, of course, we need a stable Ukraine that wants to traverse this route and do its homework.”
Can we speak about a time frame for Ukraine’s accession to the EU or for starting membership negotiations? Some politicians mention 2020 as the accession date. Others, who say that Ukraine should join the EU as soon as possible, believe that in four to five years this process, or at least the talks, may begin.
“I don’t think that after our experience with Romania and Bulgaria we can talk about a specific date for Ukraine’s accession or the beginning of talks about accession. We can talk only about concrete steps. The path to the European Union lies through the creation of institutions that can be trusted and which work at the same level as European institutions. If Ukraine shows progress, we will be able to say: okay. And then you will be able to talk about not only EU membership but also membership in some EU agencies, participation in the Lisbon strategy, and so on. I believe that in the future we will have a new strategy for accepting new members to the EU. We will develop specific new cooperation strategies. This is a question of progress rather than time. If we move fast, we will be able to make a start by having your country cooperate with certain EU agencies some time in 2010. The process of obtaining full membership will take longer.”
