German Chancellor Friedrich Merz proposed an interim political arrangement to bring Ukraine closer to the EU before full accession is completed. The proposal would allow Ukrainian officials to participate in EU summits and ministerial meetings without voting rights. Ukraine would be covered by the EU’s mutual assistance clause and could access funding from parts of the EU budget. Merz said the arrangement would not be “membership light” and that negotiations for full membership should still begin. He also suggested including a snap-back mechanism that would annul the interim status if Ukraine backslid on rule-of-law standards required for full accession.
"In a letter to EU chiefs Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa seen by news agencies on Thursday, the German leader proposed allowing Ukrainian officials to take part in EU summits and ministerial meetings but without voting rights. "It is obvious that we will not be able to complete the accession process shortly, given the countless hurdles as well as the political complexities of ratification processes," Merz wrote. "What I envisage is a political solution that brings Ukraine substantially closer to the European Union and its core institutions immediately," he wrote."
"Under Merz's proposal, Ukraine would be covered by the bloc's mutual assistance clause, and it would also be eligible for funding from parts of the EU's budget. Merz insisted that he still wanted Ukraine to eventually become a "full member" and urged the launch of all necessary negotations. "It would not be a membership light," he wrote."
"Merz wrote that any such agreement with Ukraine could contain a snap-back mechanism that would annul the interim membership if Kyiv backslid on the rule-of-law standards necessary for full accession. "My proposal reflects Ukraine's particular situation, a country at war. It will help facilitate the ongoing peace t"
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