By Euronews
Published on
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced that he will take part in Euronews’ unprecedented European Enlargement Summit on 4 November in Brussels, to debate Europe’s strategic enlargement process, its challenges and benefits, and the complex paths ahead.
A unique European political event, the Euronews summit will, for the first time, bring together leaders of both the EU and a number of candidate countries in a groundbreaking debate on Europe’s enlargement process towards the East, at a crucial moment for the European Union and the candidate states, from Ukraine and Moldova to the Western Balkans.
Showcasing the new momentum for Europe’s strategic enlargement, Euronews’ summit will bring to the stage European Council president Antonio Costa and European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos together with the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, president of Moldova, Maia Sandu, president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, as well as three prime ministers: Albania’s Edi Rama, Montenegro’s Milojko Spajić and North Macedonia’s Hristijan Mickoski.
During the summit, Euronews will interview President Zelenskyy to explore Kyiv’s strategies for its key national objective to join the European Union, as Russia’s war in Ukraine and its menace for Europe have brought new urgency and impetus to the EU Enlargement process, both for the European Union and the accession countries.
The complex EU political debate about Ukraine and Moldova’s EU accessions is in full swing. In the run-up to Euronews’ summit, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen underlined in her annual State of the Union speech that “a larger and stronger Union” with Ukraine, Moldova and the Western Balkans is “a security guarantee for all of us.” Her recent tour of the accession countries added a new boost to the enlargement process.
It was an Euronews interview with President Von der Leyen, just days into Russia’s full-scale invasion, that triggered Ukraine’s accession process during those existential moments for the Ukrainian nation.
President Von der Leyen told Euronews exclusively on 27 February 2022 that Ukraine is “one of us and we want them in the European Union.”
The following morning, President Zelenskyy rocked the European establishment by submitting Ukraine’s application to join the European Union, marked by the now-iconic photo of the signature in a bunker under the besieged Ukrainian presidency building.
On that morning of 28 February 2022, Zelenskyy appealed to Europe, asking for “Ukraine’s immediate accession under a new special procedure,” adding that “our goal is to be with all Europeans and, most importantly, to be equal. I’m sure that’s fair. I am sure we deserve it.”
Fast forward to Euronews’ Enlargement Summit on Tuesday: Ukraine’s accession process has evolved into a most complex European affair and is now coupled with Moldova’s EU membership bid. The coupling aspect has already generated an EU-wide political debate in itself.
In an exclusive opinion article written for Euronews on the eve of the summit, Ukraine’s Ambassador to the EU Vsevolod Chentsov said that “amid Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine and the hybrid war against Europe, European integration has become Ukraine’s defining national goal and the key source of our society’s resilience.”
“Accession to the EU is not merely an institutional or economic transformation. It is a guarantee of Ukraine’s democratic future — and of Europe’s own security, unity, and trust,” Chentsov added.
The ambassador warned against a slow accession process, which is opposed by Hungary, stating that “any delay sends the wrong signal and risks discouraging Ukrainians who defend European values every single day — often at the cost of their lives.”
In a stern message to the EU leaders, the ambassador said that “the European Union must match Ukraine’s determination with strategic clarity and bold decisions,” and that “confidence in the European project depends on whether the EU can rise to this moment — by embracing those who are already defending European values on the front line,” Ukraine’s ambassador concluded.
Europe’s enlargement summit takes place on the day the European Commission will present its EU enlargement strategy and the yearly assessment of the efforts made by Ukraine, Moldova and the Western Balkans on their individual paths towards EU accession.
Euronews will broadcast its EU Enlargement Summit live on its television and digital platforms including YouTube, on Tuesday, 4 November, between 2 pm and 5 pm CET.
