European Parliament Accepts Ukraine's Application to Join EU, Work Remains

[Wicked Blue]

Source: Newsweek

The European Parliament, one of the European Union's legislative branches, voted Tuesday in favor of making Ukraine a member of the union.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky filed an application to join the EU just the day before, asking for fast-track admittance due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which entered its sixth day on Tuesday. Being part of the bloc would allow Ukrainians to move freely between the other 27 member nations, which could help the hundreds of thousands of people fleeing the country as Russian forces continue to fire upon major cities.

According to Reuters, 637 parliament members voted yes in regard to Ukraine joining the bloc, while 13 voted no and 26 abstained.

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/european-parliament-accepts-ukraines-application-join-eu-work-remains-1683796

[bdamomma]

1. Good news

for the people of Ukraine.

[RussBLib]

2. does that translate to military aid?

by aid I don't just mean food and water, but planes, bombers, tanks, etc?

How many times has Putin gotten away with atrocities? Has he paid a price for Aleppo in Syria? Did he pay any price after leveling Grozny in Chechnya? It seems so absurd that he can kill at will, as long as his victims are not aligned with NATO, or some other defense pact.

Perhaps it's time to go after Russia militarily. Either way, thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands will die. Perhaps better to die fighting than to just watch the carnage. We can only hope that nukes are not involved.

War is just beyond words.

[Wicked Blue]

3. I don't think EU is a military organization, just economic nt

[RussBLib]

4. that is my thought

as long as we are playing by rules, NATO seems to be the key

[PatSeg]

7. Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament

said, "We will provide much-needed weapons to Ukraine. We have moved to disconnect Russia from swift. We have banned kremlin propaganda tools, European business, sports have taken a clear stand against Russian aggression."

[Javaman]

18. Actually they do...

This is from another thread where I asked pretty much

The same question…

(Here’s a link to the thread…. https://democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=2879410 )


MUTUAL DEFENCE CLAUSE

The Treaty of Lisbon strengthens the solidarity between EU countries in dealing with external threats by introducing a mutual defence clause (Article 42(7) of the Treaty on European Union). This clause provides that if an EU country is the victim of armed aggression on its territory, the other EU countries have an obligation to aid and assist it by all the means in their power, in accordance with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.

This obligation of mutual defence is binding on all EU countries. However, it does not affect the neutrality of certain EU countries and is consistent with the commitments of EU countries which are NATO members.

This provision is supplemented by the solidarity clause (Article 222 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU) which provides that EU countries are obliged to act jointly where an EU country is the victim of a terrorist attack or a natural or man-made disaster.

[TomWilm]

25. Neither this clause nor NATO's article V demands a military response ...

... just be aware that these treaties are mostly paper tigers.

[Javaman]

26. while it doesn't "demand" it gives reason.

and I seriously doubt that the EU will just stand by and let their newest member, who is in desperate need of help, to fall without doing anything.

[TomWilm]

29. Ukraine is NOT a member of the EU ...

... they MIGHT be on a road to the status of an EU candidate country, from which the process of accession could start. But since Ukraine still is the most corrupt country ever to ask for membership in the EU club, where that level of corruption is a no-no, the road might not be fast anyway.

[Lonestarblue]

6. Ukraine would have to join NATO to get military support.

I’m amazed at the speed of EU actions, but all countries must agree to membership and at least one, possibly two, could block Ukraine—Hungary and Turkey, both of whom have close ties to Russia and whose leaders are authoritarians like Putin. That said, Putin is proving to be particularly dangerous, and most likely irrational, with his threats of nuclear warfare and they may want to see him gone.

Granting Ukraine EU membership is sure to poke Putin, but it would also speak to Russia’s oligarchs and military leaders that the West is serious about helping Ukraine and the faster they get of Putin’s nightmare war, the better. Time for a military coup, followed by real democratic elections in Russia. Otherwise, their economy will soon be in shambles.

[PatSeg]

8. And meanwhile, EU will provide Ukraine with weapons

[onetexan]

9. not necessarily. see here

https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2022/02/28/will-ukraine-join-the-eu-after-zelensky-signs-membership-application-heres-what-could-come-next/

Joining the EU could immediately help Ukraine militarily, as EU members are bound by a mutual defense clause that requires other members to aid a country if it’s “the victim of armed aggression on its territory.”

Note OTHER MEMBERS TO AID clause above.

[Javaman]

19. please see below...

This is from another thread where I asked pretty much

The same question…

(Here’s a link to the thread…. https://democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=2879410 )


MUTUAL DEFENCE CLAUSE

The Treaty of Lisbon strengthens the solidarity between EU countries in dealing with external threats by introducing a mutual defence clause (Article 42(7) of the Treaty on European Union). This clause provides that if an EU country is the victim of armed aggression on its territory, the other EU countries have an obligation to aid and assist it by all the means in their power, in accordance with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.

This obligation of mutual defence is binding on all EU countries. However, it does not affect the neutrality of certain EU countries and is consistent with the commitments of EU countries which are NATO members.

This provision is supplemented by the solidarity clause (Article 222 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU) which provides that EU countries are obliged to act jointly where an EU country is the victim of a terrorist attack or a natural or man-made disaster.

[Victor_c3]

22. As someone else pointed out to me, EU citizens don't require passports or visas to cross borders

With other EU member states. This is big for the refugee situation

[muriel_volestrangler]

27. No, to Ukraine following EU law, and being part of the single market, in about a decade

If everything goes OK. Poland says they ought to be able to do it by 2030. This makes no difference to the invasion.

[multigraincracker]

5. Putin put down by expert Judo move by Ukraine.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=16420672

[JudyM]

17. Thanks for posting this.

Perfect reading for me today.

[RussBLib]

10. Russia broke its promise

https://theintercept.com/2022/02/27/ukraine-nuclear-weapons-russia-invasion/

In the 1990s, world powers promised Ukraine that if it disarmed, they would not violate its security. That promise was broken.

UKRAINE WAS ONCE home to thousands of nuclear weapons. The weapons were stationed there by the Soviet Union and inherited by Ukraine when, at the end of the Cold War, it became independent. It was the third-largest nuclear arsenal on Earth. During an optimistic moment in the early 1990s, Ukraine’s leadership made what today seems like a fateful decision: to disarm the country and abandon those terrifying weapons, in exchange for signed guarantees from the international community ensuring its future security.

The betrayal of Ukrainians in particular cannot be understated. In 1994, the Ukrainian government signed a memorandum that brought its country into the global Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty while formally relinquishing its status as a nuclear state. The text of that agreement stated that in exchange for the step, the “Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America reaffirm their obligation to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine "

[BumRushDaShow]

11. I'm not finding any confirmation on there being a "start of the special admission procedure" yet.

Note that "Nexta TV" is an in-exile (in Poland) former (anti-) Belrus channel.

We know Zelensky signed and submitted the application, requested the procedure, and had a speech before the Council...

Here is a translated version of his speech from the EU's website - https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/speech_22_1483

We also know 8 of former Eastern Bloc countries currently part of the EU, submitted their own support letter for Ukraine's admission ("ascension" as they dub it).

And there is this disconcerting (but reality-based) issue -

Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy is calling for urgent EU membership—but is that even possible?

By Vivienne Walt

March 1, 2022 7:54 AM EST



As Ukraine suffers from its lack of membership in one international organization with a mutual defense pact—NATO—Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is pushing to join another. In an urgent video message posted on Monday, Zelenskyy made a stark appeal for his neighbors to the west: Let the country join the European Union—and fast. “We are grateful for our partners for being with us. But our goal is to be with all Europeans and, most importantly, to be equal,” he said, wearing what has become his trademark olive-green sweatshirt. “I am confident that it is fair. I am confident that we have deserved it. I am confident that this is all possible.”

(snip)

The EU treaty includes a mutual defense pact similar to NATO’s, in which its members agree to fight militarily against an outside attack on any one of its countries. If Ukraine were in the EU, Russia would now be facing massive firepower from France, Germany, and others, instead of the Ukrainian military alone. Until now, Ukraine has on paper been a “neutral” country, remaining outside both the EU and NATO. The consequences have been painfully clear this past week. “I don’t think anyone is happy about neutral status,” former Ukraine Deputy Minister of Justice and European Integration Sergei Petukhov told France 24 TV on Monday. “It means being exposed to Russian aggression at any point in time.”

Will the EU let in Ukraine?

Not likely, at least for a long while. EU leaders have hailed Zelensky’s heroic defiance and sound open to the idea—on the surface. The presidents of eight EU countries in the Eastern Europe signed a letter on Monday night urging immediate talks on Ukraine’s membership. And on Sunday, EU President Ursula von der Leyen said in an interview, “Ukraine is one of us, and we want them in the EU… Over time, they belong to us.” But Ukraine does not have time. With Russia bombarding its cities, it needs quick action, from a bloc whose decision-making moves at a snail’s pace. That is one reason the EU’s foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell dismissed any idea of fast-track membership for Ukraine, saying on Monday, “Membership is something that will take a lot of years.

We have to provide an answer for the coming hours, not the coming years.” Despite the EU leaders’ gushing support, Zelenskyy could also struggle to win approval for Ukraine’s membership—which requires the agreement of all 27 nations (down from 28, since the U.K. exited last year)—when and if it comes up for a vote. Charles Michel, who heads the European Council of EU leaders, cautioned that there were “different opinions and sensitivities within the EU about enlargement.” That is an understatement. “Accession,” as new membership is called, is one of the most bitterly divisive issues in Europe, and the EU’s unshakable unity against Vladimir Putin could fray badly once leaders start debating Ukraine joining.

(snip)

https://fortune.com/2022/03/01/ukraine-president-zelenskyy-urgent-eu-membership-nato-mutural-defense/

[Wicked Blue]

12. Ukraine's Plea To Join European Union Accepted; Procedure Begins Amid Russian Invasion

RepublicWorld.com (India)

In a historic development, the European Parliament accepted Ukraine's application to join the European Union on Tuesday. A special admission procedure has begun to admit Ukraine to the EU, and the voting for the same, is said to take place at 9 PM as per Indian Standard Time.

https://www.republicworld.com/world-news/russia-ukraine-crisis/ukraines-plea-to-join-european-union-accepted-procedure-begins-amid-russian-invasion-articleshow.html

[BumRushDaShow]

14. Am not going to go by an India news site but just saw this in GD

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100216420491

Link to tweet

KyivPost
@KyivPost
The European Parliament has approved Ukraine's application to join the European Union.

A special admission procedure has been launched.

Voting will take place at 16:30
7:44 AM · Mar 1, 2022

[Wicked Blue]

15. Thanks!

I've gotten the impression over the past few days that foreign news sites cover the EU more intensively than major media. When I saw it also posted by an Azerbijan news site, I decided it was worth posting.

[BumRushDaShow]

16. I am of a mind that we are in the midst of "the fog of war"

and some of the more obscure news sites can be tainted. And India is sadly known to have literally thousands of English-language "news aggregator" sites from dodgy sources (often created to promote the soccer matches).

[Karadeniz]

13. Thanks for refreshing our memories !! Why hasn't this broken promise made the news ????

[2live is 2fly]

20. Putlers Ego

With Putins massive ego, what's the 2nd. best way out? The 1st, of course being the lead pill method (coup d'etet).

[blue-wave]

21. Putin's evil must be stopped

I hope and pray that this will assist Ukraine even further to run the invaders out. I would guess that all members need to vote? Does anyone have info on that voting process? Do you need 100% of EU members to vote "yes" to accept Ukraine?

[PortTack]

23. Thank the gods!! Best news of the year!!!

[onecaliberal]

24. That is good news, but we need to bombs and killing to STOP NOW.

[muriel_volestrangler]

28. "Calls for the EU institutions to work towards granting EU candidate status to Ukraine"

That's the actual wording on what was voted on:

34. Calls for the EU institutions to work towards granting EU candidate status to Ukraine, in line with Article 49 of the Treaty on European Union and on the basis of merit, and, in the meantime, to continue to work towards its integration into the EU single market along the lines of the Association Agreement;

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/B-9-2022-0123_EN.html

The parliament does not "accept" an application to join; it votes that it supports it.

[FakeNoose]

30. There are several steps Ukraine needs to go through in joining the EU

I take it that this is just the beginning, but it's a good start. Ukraine has the world's attention and sympathy right now. May they follow through, and may they continue to receive help from the good guys.