Ten years ago, Ukraine was in the top 3 of most corrupt countries in the world in the figures of E&Y Accountancy. Along with Colombia and Brazil. In 2017, Ukraine fared slightly better. At that time, the country was in 9th place, E&Y has no figures for 2021. The agency Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index does.
That agency works with a ranking from least to most corrupt country. Last year, Ukraine was in 122nd place out of 180 countries. This makes it the most corrupt country in Europe after Russia.
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Laundry list of conditions EU
“There are many conditions to become a member of the EU,” says political reporter Fons Lambie. The first step is to become a candidate member. Ursula von der Leyen now hints that that could happen soon. After that, negotiations with Ukraine about true membership could take years.”
According to Lambie, Ukraine must, for example, adopt all European rules and laws. And meet a laundry list of conditions. “It concerns, for example, the rule of law and the fight against corruption. Conditions Ukraine could not meet when it was still at peace.”
Joining the EU is therefore normally not an option for Ukraine for the time being.
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EU membership conditions
There are now 7 countries that also want to be part of the European Union. Candidate countries Turkey, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Albania and potential candidate countries Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina. They have been trying to join the EU for years and must meet these conditions:
– A country must have a stable democracy. It must guarantee the rule of law and the protection of minorities and respect human rights.
– A country must have a well-functioning market economy. It must be able to compete with the EU.
– A country must adopt and implement the common laws and rules of the EU.
A candidate country only becomes a real member if all EU countries agree. It must be passed unanimously, as it is called. If one member votes against, it’s over.
Source: Central government
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Billion subsidies
An EU country receives billions of euros in subsidies every year; for agriculture, infrastructure, etc. EU country Hungary proves that this is not always handled with care. That country is often at loggerheads with other member states over corruption. Money has disappeared, projects cannot be justified or are completely unnecessary. Just watch this video.
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No highway to membership
There is, of course, a great fear among the EU that billions of euros in European taxpayers’ money will also disappear in Ukraine. Fons Lambie: ”Many western countries are hesitant about Ukraine’s rapid accession to the EU. Prime Minister Rutte and French President Macron emphasize that there is no highway to membership.”
And that has been murmured. Poland, which is a neighbor of Ukraine, and the Baltic States do want speed. Lambie: ”These countries want to do everything they can to help the government in Kiev. The Western leaders do not want to reject Ukraine outright. So they say Ukraine is part of the European family. Nice words, but not the smooth EU membership Ukraine hopes for”.
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