Germany's Merz proposes radical shakeup of EU membership to give hope to Ukraine, Moldova, Western Balkans states

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called on EU leaders to discuss a new additional membership status for Ukraine and other candidate countries to maintain momentum until they're full members of the bloc, in a letter seen by the Kyiv Independent dated May 18.

Ukraine has been a candidate country since 2022, but further progress on EU accession has been blocked for almost a year.

The letter notes that "the enlargement process takes much too long" and that "understandably, this creates frustration."

Some countries have been stuck waiting far longer than Ukraine to proceed to the next steps of EU accession. North Macedonia was granted candidate status in December 2005. More than 20 years later, its progress has been blocked first by Greece, requiring the country to change its name, and then by Bulgaria over ethnic disputes.

"I am convinced that we need a new dynamic for Ukraine as well as for the Western Balkans and Moldova," Merz says in the letter.

Regarding Ukraine, the German Chancellor is clear that it should become a "full member" of the EU, and also reiterates the German position that all six enlargement clusters "should, immediately, and without delay, formally open."

Hungary has been blocking progress on opening those clusters for a year, but they are not alone in raising objections.

While that process continues, Merz proposes an "associate membership" for Ukraine, which would grant participation in meetings of EU leaders, a seat in the college of EU Commissioners, non-voting membership in the European Parliament, and even some representation in the European Court of Justice.

"We would already now offer to Ukraine a substantial equivalent to membership that exceeds by far what we could deliver in the medium term through our accession methodology," Merz says in the letter.

Ukraine ruled out any kind of 'ersatz membership' when Merz's idea was first informally floated at a meeting of EU leaders in April, preferring to focus on pushing through the current accession process as quickly as possible.

Merz tries to address this in the letter by claiming "it would not be a membership light" and that it would "further accelerate the accession process."

For countries in the Western Balkans who have faced a much longer push toward EU integration, Germany's push for "innovative solutions also for those candidate countries which have been preparing for a long time now," could be seen as a much-needed boost to their own membership prospects.

The letter mentions that these countries could likewise be granted observer status in "all relevant EU institutions" and representation when EU institutions discuss issues that directly affect them.

For now, Merz is requesting the establishment of a task force to address the legal and political feasibility issues arising from his proposal.