Il-prospetti tas-Sħubija fl-Unjoni Ewropea tal-Ukrajna u t-Turkija

L-eks Prim Ministru Alfred Sant esprima riżervi dwar il-possibbiltà li t-Turkija u l-Ukrajna jsiru membri tal-Unjoni Ewropea. Talanqas jekk din tibqa’ skont il-perspettivi u regoli li qed tħaddan bħalissa, huwa sostna.

Alfred Sant innota kif l-Unjoni Ewropea żmien twil ilu wegħdet lit-Turkija li se tiffavorixxi d-dħul tagħha bħala Stat Membru. Madanakollu, meta t-Turkija għamlet kif ġiet mitluba u introduċiet riformi meħtieġa għas-sħubija, l-Unjoni rat kif setgħet iżżommha ‘l bogħod xorta waħda. Imbagħad meta l-politika tat-Turkija ma mxietx b’mod konformi mar-rekwiżiti tal-Unjoni Ewropea, din sabet ix-xoqqha f’moxtha biex tkompli żżomm lit-Turkija mbiegħda.

Filwaqt li l-Unjoni Ewropea qed twiegħed li tappoġġja l-applikazzjoni tal-Ukrajna biex tissieħeb fl-Unjoni, ftit li xejn qed issir referenza għall-kundizzjonijiet li l-Ukrajna se tkun mitluba tissodisfa. Iċ-ċansijiet huma kbar li l-progress lejn sħubija tal-Ukrajna fl-Unjoni Ewropea jibqa’ wieqaf għal snin twal.

Hemm problema waħda kbira li rari tiġi diskussa, sostna l-Membru Parlamentari Ewropew Laburista Sant: Kemm it-Turkija u kemm l-Ukrajna huma ta’ daqs li jċaħħad lill-Ġermanja u lil Franza, illum l-akbar potenzi fi ħdan l-Unjoni  Ewropea, minn dik il-pożizzjoni.

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The European Union Membership prospects of the Ukraine and Turkey

Former Prime Minister Alfred Sant expressed reservations on the possibility of Turkey and Ukraine becoming members of the European Union especially if the Union keeps the same perspectives and rules which it currently embraces, he claimed.

Alfred Sant noted how for long the European Union had promised Turkey it would favour its accession as a Member State. However, when Turkey did as instructed to introduce reforms required for membership, the Union made sure negotiations with Turkey on the matter took a long time. Then when Turkey’s policies began to diverge from European Union requirements, the European Union found it opportune to continue deferring further commitments related to future Turkish membership.

While the European Union is promising to back the Ukraine’s application to join the Union, little reference is being made to the conditions which the Ukraine will have to fulfill. These make it likely that progress towards the Ukraine’s European Union membership will remain stuck for many years.

There is one big problem which is rarely touched upon, Labour MEP Sant claimed: The size of Turkey and Ukraine is such that their membership would preclude Germany and France, to date the major European powers in the European Union, from retaining that position.