Ukraine should receive “associate membership” in the European Union as a crucial step on its path to full membership, while the Western Balkans and Moldova could also move closer to the EU and their accession process accelerated.

This is the request that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz made to EU leaders in a letter addressed to them. In the letter, Merz proposes a new EU accession dynamic for the current candidates – Ukraine, the Western Balkans and Moldova. This is because, as he writes, the enlargement of the European Union is a geopolitical necessity, but also a process that takes “a very long time”.

In the first part of the paper, focusing on Ukraine, Merz proposes an “associate membership” model. While Ukraine should become a full member state, it is clear, according to Merz, that the accession process will not be completed soon.

"However…, we have no time for further delays. Now is the time to boldly move forward with Ukraine's integration into the EU through innovative solutions as immediate steps forward," he writes.

In the following part of the letter, the German Chancellor asserts that the European Union must stand firm in its promise that the Western Balkan countries and Moldova can join the European Union.

"I suggest that we consider innovative solutions also for those candidate countries that have been preparing for their accession for a long time, and that we also accelerate their accession process. Together with colleagues, I will continue to work on this," Merz writes.

He proposes that the EU could also provide these countries with significant steps on their path to membership, with, for example, privileged access to the Internal Market and closer ties with European institutions in the daily decision-making process.