Ukraine’s EU hopes rise as bloc’s leaders approve candidate status – CNN

The European Council granted Ukraine candidate status, but it will still be years before it can join the EU. Ukraine must meet the Copenhagen criteria, which focus on whether or not a country has a functioning free-market economy, fit institutions, and a functioning democracy.

Ukraine will have to meet 35 criteria in total before becoming an EU member state, including trade, law, and civil society measures. Once these criteria are met, Ukraine must make domestic reforms to meet the required standards in each area.

The EU’s lengthy and complicated process of admitting Ukraine to the bloc is likely thwarted by political considerations. France, Germany, and Hungary have been less than full-throated in their support.

Ukraine‘s President Volodymyr Zelensky said he “sincerely commends” the European Council’s decision, calling it “a unique and historical moment in EU/Ukraine relations.”

There are still many obstacles for Ukraine to join the EU, including getting Turkey and some other soft-Russian allies to agree. There are also concerns about how much of the EU budget Ukraine might eat up.

The average time to join the EU is four years and ten months, according to the think tank UK in a Changing Europe. However, some member states in eastern Europe have had to wait as long as ten years.

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