A petition asking the EU to officially recognize Ukraine as a candidate nation has already been signed by 226,000 citizens across Europe.
The petition was started by French entrepreneur Arnaud Castaignet, Head of Communications and Policy at cleantech company Skeleton Technologies, and is promoted by Change.org, a tech platform for people-powered social change.
In the petition, the signatories have asked fellow citizens in the European Union member states to create a wave of support for the Ukrainian people and encourage their heads of state government to grant Ukraine the status of an official candidate nation, an essential step in the accession process.
It further added, “With this call, we want to ensure citizens of Ukraine that we support them & that, despite the horrific acts made by Vladimir Putin & his military, there shall be a future. And, like them, we also want this future to be free & with us.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed his nation’s application for membership in the EU on 28 February. The application was mainly symbolic since there is no “fast track procedure” for joining the EU which could help Ukraine.
But a quick and positive EU response to Ukraine’s application would no doubt send an important signal and bolster Ukraine’s morale in its fight to survive as an independent and democratic country.
As per the reports, EU membership comes with a mutual defence clause. One of the main issues in a political solution is legally binding security guarantees to Ukraine.
At most, Ukraine’s application set in motion a process that will take time, according to European Commission President von der Leyen.