EU Parliament backs EU membership for Ukraine with 'zero ambiguity'

By Agnes Szucs

BRUSSELS (AA) - The European Parliament supports Ukraine's EU membership and urges bloc leaders to move ahead with the integration process, the legislative body's president said on Monday.

"There is zero ambiguity about the European Parliament's position that it positively views the next step for Ukraine to become a candidate for the EU," Roberta Metsola told Anadolu Agency at a news conference following her discussions with the EU leaders at the special summit.

According to the draft conclusions of the two-day meeting, EU leaders are expected to evaluate the European Commission's assessment of Ukraine's candidacy at their upcoming summit in June.

Metsola stressed that the EU has to respond quickly to Ukraine's membership application and say yes to "opening the door" to dismiss doubts on the bloc's capacity to act.

This would "not only allow political message" on the EU's credibility but would also support "next steps to further integrate Ukraine and provide access to programs while we look at the rebuilding" the country, she explained.

She also said that the EU lawmakers support the new idea of parliamentary diplomacy that encourages different parliaments around the world to "push leaders to take decisions."

Ukraine's reconstruction could also benefit from EU financial support for candidate countries, the European Parliament president added.

Only four days after the Russian invasion started on Feb. 24., Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy officially signed his country's request to join the EU.

The European Commission is currently assessing the questionnaire that Ukraine completed and returned in April.

In the coming weeks, the EU executive body will deliver its opinion if the country can receive candidate status and start membership negotiations in the first phase of the process.

EU countries have to approve unanimously for the enlargement process to continue.