PVV flip-flops again: Now says Ukraine shouldn’t be allowed in EU as Albania talks begin

The PVV has decided that they do not want Ukraine to become a member of the European Union (EU). The largest government party said last autumn that the country would be allowed to enter if it meets the requirements. Ukraine is “not yet and, maybe, if it is up to us, will never” be an EU member, said PVV member Gidi Markuszower on Tuesday in the parliamentary debate about the upcoming EU summit. The PVV politician made the statement moments after Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó released details at a press conference about Albania’s first negotiation meeting to join the EU.

The PVV had always opposed the admission of new EU countries, and this was also the case when it came to Ukraine. But the far-right populist party changed its stance when it became clear the party was going to govern in a coalition.

In May, the PVV said they saw space for Ukraine to join once the country meets the so-called Copenhagen criteria, which determine whether a prospective member is ready for the EU. For many years, most EU countries have shown little interest in accepting new members but now want to pull some neighbors in to prevent them falling to rivals like Russia and China.

Ukraine can count on a lot of goodwill as it fights for its survival against Russia. That said, it still has years of work to do before it meets the requirements to become a member of the EU.

Back in 2015, PVV leader Geert Wilders pushed a campaign to convince the Dutch public to vote in a referendum to propose rejecting the Association Agreement between the European Union and Ukraine. Voter turnout was low, at just over 32 percent, but 61 percent of the ballots cast were opposed to the deal.

Development of the bilateral agreement meant to commit Ukraine to extensive reforms in exchange for economic and political support began in 2012. The urgency grew after Russia invaded the Crimea Peninsula in 2014. The Dutch public voted against the measure even as dozens of Dutch citizens were killed when a Russian Buk missile shot down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 a few months later. The flight originated in Amsterdam, and was hit with the missile as it was flying over Eastern Ukraine during a period of intense fighting.

The Dutch prime minister at the time, Mark Rutte, brought the issues raised in the referendum back to the bargaining table. He claimed to win assurances which then led to Dutch parliamentarians ratifying the deal in the first half of 2017. Ultimately, the referendum set the EU deal with Ukraine back by up to two years. The Netherlands was the last EU member to sign on to the Association Agreement. It swiftly came into force just three months after the Netherlands agreed to it.

Meanwhile, negotiations with Albania on accession to the European Union will now begin fully, said Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto at a press conference on Tuesday. Representing the EU, he said it was a “historic moment.”

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said that Albania’s accession to the bloc is a matter of “life and death.” He added, “This is not pro-European rhetoric,” saying it is a crucial step for freedom, the rule of law and democracy in his country. “The Western Balkans need the European Union. We have no plan B.”

If Albania does not choose to join the EU, Rama said, “it would be like giving up our way of life. We have finally chosen, after centuries of darkness under empires and regimes imposed on us. Our history has taught us the most difficult path that cannot be found and guaranteed outside the EU realm,” he continued.

“Unfortunately, and I cannot avoid saying this, it was with the help of Vladimir Putin that this process gained new momentum after the aggression against Ukraine,” Rama also said. “That served as a wake-up call to remind Europe that the illusion of self-sufficiency is really an illusion.”

The European Union needs Albania and other countries from the Western Balkan region, Szijjarto said. The European Union needs refreshing, and renewed vigor. He hopes that the accession negotiations with Albania will be faster than usual. The average waiting time for a candidate country to actually join is 15 years.