Ukraine's EU accession is 'mathematics' for now, politics will come later - Polish diplomat
Photo: Poland’s chargé d’affaires in Ukraine Piotr Łukasiewicz (Vitalii Nosach / RBC-Ukraine)
Ukraine wants to make the fastest possible progress in negotiations with the EU, but the final decision on membership will depend on more than just completed reforms, Piotr Łukasiewicz, Poland’s chargé d’affaires in Ukraine, said in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.
According to him, historical issues, including disputes surrounding the figure of Stepan Bandera, are currently not part of Ukraine’s negotiations on joining the European Union.
Łukasiewicz recalled that Ukraine was able to open its first negotiating cluster after Hungary’s blockade was lifted. Polish diplomacy, particularly Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski and Prime Minister Donald Tusk, made significant efforts toward this.
At the same time, the first cluster concerns human rights, freedom of speech and fundamental values, rather than historical issues.
“There is nothing about Bandera in this cluster,” the diplomat stressed.
For now, he said, the negotiations concern economic issues, the rule of law and bringing Ukrainian legislation into line with EU standards.
Łukasiewicz described this stage as a kind of “mathematics,” since Ukraine has to meet specific requirements and gradually adopt the necessary legislation.
“So right now, it is mathematics, not historical issues,” he said.
At the same time, the diplomat does not rule out the situation changing in several years. Once Ukraine completes most of the necessary reforms, the question of its EU membership will become largely political.
However, Łukasiewicz believes Ukraine should not focus now on what the political decision will look like in six or eight years.
“I wish Ukraine to face as soon as possible the decision of Poland, Hungary, Germany, France or those who will be shaping the European Union eight years from now,” he added.
What Ukraine needs to do now
According to the Polish diplomat, Ukraine currently faces very concrete tasks. These include reforming tax legislation, strengthening the rule of law, increasing transparency and fighting corruption.
He praised Ukraine’s work in these areas but stressed that the pace of reforms needs to accelerate.
Łukasiewicz cited legislation on parcel taxation as an example. According to him, even on such issues, it is not always clear whether there will be enough votes in the Verkhovna Rada to adopt the necessary decision.
Therefore, the diplomat believes that instead of making predictions about the next eight years, Ukraine should focus on the tasks that need to be completed now.
Will Ukraine open all clusters this year?
Asked about the possibility of opening all negotiating clusters by the end of the year, Łukasiewicz declined to make a definitive prediction.
“I’m not sure about that,” he said.
At the same time, the diplomat assured that Poland does not intend to block or delay the process of opening the negotiating clusters.
According to him, this could be possible if Ukraine and its partners demonstrate a sufficient level of effort and ambition.
However, opening the clusters does not mean that the main work is complete. On the contrary, it will mark the beginning of a lengthy process of negotiations and transformation of the country.
“Opening a cluster means nothing more than opening a cluster,” Łukasiewicz explained.
In his view, the symbolic opening of the clusters is indeed important, but the practical transformation of Ukraine will be a much more difficult task.
Poland’s experience and competition within the EU
The diplomat also addressed the issue of Polish agriculture, which regularly arises in discussions about Ukraine’s European integration.
According to him, the list of issues raised in Polish-Ukrainian relations is fairly typical — history, grain and transport. Poland itself went through difficult changes after joining the EU.
Łukasiewicz said Polish producers had feared competition from other European countries. One symbol of those debates was the story of the “Polish plumber.”
He acknowledged that such changes can be painful, but said their purpose is not the pain or restrictions themselves, but making the state stronger and more competitive.
In his view, Ukraine should also use the European integration process to modernize its agriculture, transportation and other sectors.
At the same time, according to the diplomat, competition after joining the EU should not be reduced to Ukraine competing against Poland, the Czech Republic or Slovakia.
“The deep idea of Europe” is that member states can compete together in external markets with the United States, Asia, China and India.
Ukraine’s EU accession
It was recently reported that Ukraine could receive a clear plan for joining the EU in the form of special road maps.
The European Union is also preparing such documents for Montenegro, Moldova and Albania to outline specific steps and approximate timelines for completing the negotiations.
At the same time, Ukraine expects progress in the membership negotiations themselves. The next EU Council meeting, scheduled for October 13, could become an important stage in the bloc’s enlargement process.
According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist Rikard Jozwiak, if all necessary procedures go smoothly, two negotiating clusters for Ukraine and another two for Moldova could be opened during the meeting.
