Austria states that accelerated procedure for Ukraine's accession to EU is impossible
Austrian Minister for EU Affairs and Constitutional Affairs Karolina Edtstadler said that Ukraine's accession to the EU could not be achieved "in the next five to ten years."
As reported by Censor.NET, "European pravda" informs with reference to Euractiv.
Recently, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg invited Ukraine to consider other ways to move closer to the EU than membership.
Edtstadler commented on the situation, saying that Ukraine's full accession process would be "a long process of adaptation, which certainly cannot be achieved in the next five to ten years", as "some states in the Western Balkans have been waiting for the next step for a decade".
She added that there can be no accelerated procedure for Ukraine.
"The Minister of Foreign Affairs also wanted to say that you may also have to show creativity in the way you acquaint Ukraine with Western values. Obviously, Ukraine heard the refusal of EU membership, and this is not what was meant, and this is not Austria's position," Edtstadler said.
Austria is one of the few European countries that has refused to supply Ukraine with weapons, instead deciding to support them with humanitarian aid.
To date, the country has supplied 10,000 helmets, body armor and 100,000 liters of fuel, as well as 17.5 million euros in aid to the Red Cross and other NGOs. The Austrian government is also contributing € 10 million to the World Bank's assistance program for Ukraine.
