EU Summit in Brussels. Archive photoMOSCOW, 18 Jun. Strategic culture columnist Martin Jay questioned the possibility of the EU's existence by the time Ukraine meets the criteria for membership. The author of the article «Ukraine's accession plan is a suicide pill for a desperate EU» said that it would take Kyiv decades to join the organization. According to Jay, the idea of accepting Ukraine promoted by French President Emmanuel Macron can be called a gesture of desperation, since at least three countries opposed this expansion. This year, two key positions in the union will be vacated — the head of the European Commission and the head of the European Council of Ministers. According to the author, the President of France is one of the obvious candidates for one of these posts.Politico: Difficult changes await EU if Ukraine joins «Macron's dream is that before then France would play a leading role <…> in the EU and that the so-called «foreign policy» of the bloc would be more or less controlled by him and his team», the observer continued. In his opinion, the French leader wants the EU to become more powerful, to have more power, and not to abstain whenever a decision is required. The journalist called the idea of a European army a step in this direction. However, this plan has a weak side — the European Union has no experience in such a role, and attempts to pose as a superpower are too risky. The author cited as an example the crises that the EU experienced — Brexit, the pandemic, and doubted that the union needed its own army, which Macron would control, sending it to participate in various operations in order to protect «European interests.» «Of course, it would be absolute insanity and could lead to a world war if one of these operations backfired,» Jay warned. before joining the European Union, the State Duma said, he explained that a single European army would become a formidable military force, and its activities would be more effective than now, when, in the conditions of the Ukrainian crisis, countries simply send weapons to Kyiv. Macron thinks big and aims for the long term, but it is the idea of a powerful army subordinate to him that should keep Europeans awake at night, the journalist stressed. that your house is still intact? In short, this is what the vote for Ukraine's accession is really talking about,» the author summed up. The day before, the EC recommended granting Ukraine and Moldova the status of candidates for the European Union. The final decision will be made by EU leaders on June 23-24.
