The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, offered Ukraine to cooperate more closely with the EU through a new, “less formal” formation of like-minded states.
According to Bloomberg, during the speech in the European Parliament on May 9, the President of France proposed to create a new, less formal group of like-minded countries, which may include Ukraine. After all, our country will need time to become a member of the EU.
At the same time, such a political community will also be open to Great Britain, which will allow it to participate more actively in European affairs after Brexit.
Macron did not specify how such a group will function and what its role in the EU.
Later, the President of France told reporters that the criteria for membership in the association will be geography and a common set of values, and the leadership of the new association may include political coordination, collective security and energy.
«There was a real desire for us to restructure Europe on a whole series of policies», Macron said.
The European Commission plans to comment on granting Ukraine the candidate status for EU membership in June.
Meanwhile, Austria has stated that an accelerated procedure for Ukraine's accession to the European Union is impossible.