Volodymyr Zelensky has sent a letter to the European Union demanding full membership, calling a presence without a voice in the bloc unfair. According to the DPA news agency, the Ukrainian president criticizes the slowness of the enlargement process and warns that Europe must not keep Ukraine in a waiting room. This stance clashes with the proposal of German politician Friedrich Merz, who suggested an associate membership without voting rights as an intermediate step to facilitate an agreement to end the war with Russia.
Digital integration: the chip of discord in enlargement 🔌
The EU enlargement process is not only political; it involves a complex integration of technological systems and regulations. Ukraine must adapt its digital infrastructures to the GDPR regulation, implement SEPA payment gateways, and homologate its cybersecurity systems with the ENISA standard. The bureaucratic slowness in these technical fields is real: each adjustment requires audits, certifications, and deadlines that no president can accelerate by decree. The associate membership proposed by Merz would allow a gradual transition without demanding immediate changes.
The waiting room has wifi, but the coffee is cold ☕
Zelensky does not want to be the EU cousin who enters the family reunion but cannot have a say on the menu. Meanwhile, Merz suggests giving him a folding chair in the hallway, with the right to use the microwave but not to vote. It is like offering a guest a seat at the table but with the napkin tied to their hand. In the end, everyone knows that full entry requires years of paperwork, and Ukraine only asks not to be left on the landing while Brussels decides whether or not to roll out the red carpet.