EU must not lose itself while enlarging, says top French official on Ukraine accession

By Nur Asena Erturk

ANKARA (AA) – The EU must not lose itself while enlarging, France's minister of state for Europe said Monday, as Ukraine continues working to joing the bloc.

"We will start thinking about finding a balance for further progress of Ukraine toward the EU," Laurence Boone said upon arriving at a monthly General Affairs Council meeting in Brussels.

"The thing is to not lose Ukraine, but it is also not losing ourselves in this enlargement," Boone said at the meeting of EU ministers, underlining that member states would reaffirm their support for Ukraine in its war with Russia.

Ukraine applied for EU membership on Feb. 28, 2022, following the start of Russia’s "special military operation" against the country that began four days earlier.

The European Commission issued its opinion about the application on Jun. 17 last year, after which the European Council granted Kyiv candidacy status and said it would decide on further steps once all conditions of the European Commission's regular enlargement package were fully met.

On Dec. 14, 2022, Ukraine's parliament adopted several bills recommended by the European Commission to further the country's EU accession process.

- Earthquake in Türkiye, Syria

Boone also expressed sorrow on the earthquake that hit Türkiye and Syria early in the morning.

The 7.7 magnitude quake struck southeastern Türkiye early on Monday, killing at least 1,014 people and injuring 7,003 others in the country, according to its Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD).

At least 592 people were killed and hundreds injured in Syria from the quake, according to figures by the Syrian regime's Health Ministry and Syrian Civil Defense.

AFAD said the quake struck at 4.17 a.m. (0117GMT) and was centered in the Pazarcik district in Türkiye's southern province of Kahramanmaras and heavily affected several other provinces.

It was also followed by a 7.6 magnitude earthquake at 13.24 p.m. (1024GMT), centered in the Elbistan district of Kahramanmaras.