Ukraine too corrupt to join EU, says Jean-Claude Juncker


James Crisp
Thu, 5 October 2023

Jean-Claude Juncker is not ringing the bell for Ukraine’s accession to the EU - Kenzo Triboullard/AFP

Ukraine is not ready to join the EU because it is “corrupt at all levels of society”, Jean-Claude Juncker, the former European Commission president, has said.

Mr Juncker said making “false promises” to Ukrainians over their candidacy to accede to the bloc would be “neither good for the EU nor for Ukraine.”

He also hit out at those whom he accused of telling Ukrainians they could be given a shortcut to becoming part of the EU.


“You shouldn’t make false promises to the people in Ukraine who are up to their necks in suffering,” he told Germany’s Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper

“I am very angry about some voices in Europe who are telling Ukrainians that they can become members immediately.”

Countries hoping to join the EU have to complete demanding reforms and take on swathes of European law before they are granted entry to the bloc, which can take more than a decade.

Among the reforms Kyiv must undertake are measures to fight corruption and money laundering in a process that is highly unlikely to be completed while the war continues.

Ursula von der Leyen, who took over from Mr Juncker as commission president in 2019, recently praised Ukraine for its progress in those reforms and has been more positive about Kyiv’s candidacy.

“Anyone who has had anything to do with Ukraine knows that this is a country that is corrupt at all levels of society. Despite its efforts, it is not ready for accession – it needs massive internal reform processes,” said Mr Juncker.

“We have had bad experiences with some so-called new members, for example when it comes to the rule of law. This cannot be repeated again.”

Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, has spearheaded an anti-corruption crackdown in Ukraine, equating corruption with treason.

The EU is reportedly prepared to give the green light for negotiations with Ukraine on its future accession to the bloc in December in a show of support for Kyiv.

Any enlargement of the bloc must clear the hurdle of winning unanimous approval of all existing members because it would also have major internal consequences.

Brussels will pay Kyiv £161 billion over seven years if it eventually joins, turning various members from “net recipients” to “net contributors” for the first time, a leaked analysis revealed earlier this week.