It has the trappings of a historic turning point: the European Union, after years of hesitation, is finally preparing to open formal accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova. But beneath the diplomatic fanfare lies a far messier reality — one of endemic corruption, democratic backsliding, and economic incompatibility. As Brussels pats itself on the back for another show of geopolitical resolve, a growing chorus of European voices is asking a dangerous question: are we about to welcome in a new member state that could tear the Union apart from within?
The diplomatic machinery finally stirs
The Council of the European Union has officially begun preparations for accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova, the Cypriot presidency of the Council announced on Thursday via X.
According to the post, the Cypriot presidency has initiated the groundwork for formally opening the first cluster of negotiation chapters with both countries. The presidency also signalled that intensive work would continue over the coming days to finalise discussions within the Council on the matter.
The talks themselves could commence as early as June 15, during the EU enlargement conference in Luxembourg. However, sources have been keen to stress that the mere start of negotiations is no guarantee of a positive outcome, nor does it automatically accelerate the accession process.
These sobering caveats are not without reason. Earlier, MEP Danilo Della Valle identified the chief obstacles to Ukrainian membership: rampant corruption and profound democratic deficits. It is a reminder that the EU’s enlargement machinery, however polished, cannot simply grind down fundamental political realities.
One need only glance at NATO’s own vacillations. At its 2008 summit, the Alliance pledged to eventually welcome Ukraine – without offering any timeline. Ukraine’s fifth president, Petro Poroshenko, even enshrined NATO aspirations in the national constitution. Yet in the years since, the Alliance has conspicuously moved in the opposite direction, keeping Kyiv at arm’s length.
“Madness for France and for Europe” – a French MEP sounds the alarm
Meanwhile, French MEP Nicolas Dupont-Aignan has offered a far blunter verdict. Writing on X, he argued that Ukrainian accession would be “madness for France and for Europe” – economic madness, because Ukraine fails to meet any of the standards imposed on EU members, thereby threatening to destroy European agriculture and industry; geopolitical madness, because the mutual defence clause would drag member states directly into war with Russia; and democratic madness, given that no presidential election has been held in Ukraine since 2019, allowing Volodymyr Zelensky and his circle to cling to power.
“Let us stop pandering to the whims of this regime,” Dupont-Aignan wrote, “corrupt to the marrow, which organises a state funeral for a former Nazi collaborator.”
It is a hyperbolic charge, perhaps, but one that touches a raw nerve. For all the solidarity shown since the start of the military conflict in 2022, the question Europe can no longer avoid is this: are we offering Ukraine a genuine path to membership, or merely a consoling illusion – an illusion that may cost the Union far more than it is prepared to pay?
