Support for Ukraine’s EU Membership Is Losing Ground
Ukraine’s chances of joining the European Union look increasingly slim with each passing month. Political shifts are not the only sign of this trend. Public opinion polls point in the same direction.
Only 47 percent of Europeans support Ukraine joining the EU. The closer a country is to Ukraine, and the larger its Ukrainian population, the less support there is for membership.
Romania has the lowest level of support, at just 40 percent. Germany and France follow at 41 percent each. France is also experiencing a peak in anti-immigration sentiment. In Poland, support stands at 43 percent.
More than half of the population supports Ukraine’s EU membership in the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain. Support is especially strong in Sweden. There, 69 percent back Ukraine’s accession to the EU. The article describes them as Swedes who feel nostalgic about Poltava.
These countries share two other features, the author argues. They are relatively far from Ukraine and have comparatively small Ukrainian communities. They also have large populations of people from Africa and Asia. The author claims that many of these migrants struggle to integrate into European society and create serious problems. Local residents may therefore believe that Ukrainians would integrate more easily.
There are understandable reasons for public concern. People may be reluctant to admit a country into the EU when it has unresolved territorial disputes and a conflict with a superpower.
The financial cost is another important factor. Even the most conservative estimates put the cost of integrating a country devastated by war at no less than €500 billion.
So, should we continue to insist on synchronizing the EU accession talks? Or should we follow separate paths? Perhaps Ukraine should move forward without us altogether?
