Karl von Habsburg criticizes opponents of Ukraine’s EU integration

Ukraine has been aligning its legislation with the European Union for more than 20 years and could move quickly through accession negotiations if all member states recognize the urgency of the issue.

This was stated in a comment to Ukrinform by Karl von Habsburg, grandson of the last Emperor of Austria-Hungary, Charles I, and honorary president of the Pan-European Movement of Austria.

“There are people who remain mentally stuck in the past. They fail to understand the reality we live in and the necessity of making Ukraine an integral part of the European Union and the future European security architecture. I believe this is incredibly important,” von Habsburg said.

The honorary president of the Pan-European Movement of Austria noted that he had been involved in Croatia’s accession to the EU, pointing out that it is usually a long and difficult process. However, he highlighted Ukraine’s advantage:

“It began adapting its legislation to EU law more than 20 years ago. Ukraine has the opportunity to go through this process relatively quickly.”

He also disagreed with skepticism among some European officials that reforms in Ukraine could be reversed, as happened in Hungary.

“If Ukraine can already participate in key EU programs, that is a very important first step. Ukraine is actually in a fairly good position in the context of accession negotiations,” von Habsburg emphasized.

In his view, more and more EU member states are recognizing the urgency of Ukraine’s membership.

As reported, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Taras Kachka previously noted that some EU countries, including Germany, believe that Ukraine’s reforms must prove their irreversibility over 10–20 years.

European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos stated that all six clusters of Ukraine’s EU accession negotiations have been informally opened, allowing Ukraine to clearly understand the scope of reforms needed without waiting for the formal start of negotiations.

At the same time, Hungary continues to block the opening of formal accession talks between Ukraine and the European Union.