Appeal to the EU-27 heads of state and government to open negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union in June 2023
On 24 February 2022, Russia relaunched its undeclared war against Ukraine on a grand scale. This new Russian offensive, imperialist in the truest sense, has been pursued in systematic violation of the laws of war, in particular humanitarian ones: massive and indiscriminate bombing, rapes, abductions of children, deportations and summary executions of civilians, torture, executions of prisoners of war, large-scale and deliberate destruction of civilian infrastructure, and so on.
In June 2022, the EU 27 finally granted Ukraine candidate status to the European Union. This meant overcoming enormous resistance and misgivings that had long been cultivated by Russian soft power in the West.
Today, there is every reason to believe that the forces hostile to Ukraine’s rapid EU accession are once again at work. How else should we interpret the statements of the European Commission president who, speaking to President Zelensky, recently said that “Between now and this bright future, there may be a hard road to tread”.
Yet Russia’s undeclared war on Ukraine is also a murderous offensive by Russia against all countries that recognise themselves in the UN Charter. Only Russia’s nuclear-power status and the nature of the Russian regime have kept the free world, under American leadership, from engaging directly in this conflict in order to minimise the risks of escalation by Moscow.
It is undeniable that, despite courageous reforms already implemented amid the invasion it is suffering, Ukraine will need to do more to eradicate corruption. But the fact remains that a number of EU member states, hiding behind a convenient status of non-belligerence, have so far not taken any serious steps to prosecute their own citizens who have been corrupted politically, intellectually or financially by the Russian regime. Among these individuals are former heads of state and government and a plethora of other personalities from the political, military, academic, economic and media establishments. In a situation of declared war, many of these people might be liable to prosecution for collaboration with the enemy, or even treason.
In order to dispel any ambiguity, let us be clear that it is not a question of creating preferential accession conditions for Ukraine but, very simply, of deciding to open negotiations. Any bureaucratic argument such as the need to wait for the Commission’s report, announced for next autumn, is thus politically inadmissible. The conclusions of this report can easily be taken into account in the negotiations on each of the 35 chapters of the accession process.
Ukrainians are fighting for their freedom and ours, and paying a heavy price every day in terms of human lives and the destruction of their country. In this context we consider that any postponement by the EU 27 of the formal opening of accession negotiations beyond June 2023 would be politically, humanly and morally unacceptable.
Signatories
Jan Bartosek, Vice-President of the Parliament, Czech Republic
Gérard Deprez, former member of the European Parliament, Minister of State of Belgium
Christian Friis Bach, member of Parliament (Folketing), former Minister for Development Cooperation, Denmark
Andrius Kubilius, Member of the European Parliament, former Prime Minister of Lithuania
Vytautas Landsbergis, former President of the Republic of Lithuania
Pandeli Majko, former Prime Minister of Albania
Karen Melchior, Member of the European Parliament, Denmark
Jan Pronk, Former Minister for Development Cooperation, Former Minister of Environment, Professor Emeritus at Institute of Social Studies, Netherlands
Guy Verhofstadt, Member of the European Parliament, former Prime Minister of Belgium
Tomáš Zdechovský, Member of the European Parliament, Czech Republic
Bogdan Zdrojewski, Senator, former Mayor of Wrocław, former Minister, former member of the European Parliament, Poland
And
Skaidrite Abrama, member of Parliament, chairwoman of the Latvian Competition Council
Gian Paolo Accardo, Cofounder and editor-in-chief of Voxeurop, Belgium/France
Cengiz Aktar, Professor of Political Science at the University of Athens
Vilija Aleknaitė-Abramikienė, MP, Head of Lithuanian delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly
Alberto Alemanno, Jean Monnet Professor of EU Law, HEC Paris, Founder The Good Lobby
Katarina Ammitzbøll, Former Member of the Danish Parliament (Folketing)
Guillaume Ancel, former officer and writer, France
Laima Liucija Andrikiene, Member of the European Court of Auditors, former Member of the European Parliament, Lithuania
Antoine Arjakovsky, Director of Research, Collège des Bernardins, France
Olga Artyushkina, Senior Lecturer HDR in Russian Grammar and Linguistics, Jean Moulin Lyon 3 University
Audronius Ažubalis, Member of Parliament (Seimas), former Minister of Foreign affairs of Lithuania
James Bacchus, University Professor of Global Affairs, University of Central Florida, USA
Daniel Beauvois, Doctor honoris causa of the Universities of Wrocław, Warsaw and Kraków, Former director of the Centre of French Civilization at the University of Warsaw, France
Martine Benoit, Professor of History of Ideas at the University of Lille, France
Gérard Bensussan, philosopher, Professor Emeritus at the University of Strasbourg, France
Marc P. Berenson, Associate Professor, School of Politics and Economics, King’s College London, UK
Olga Bertelsen, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Global Security and Intelligence, Tiffin University, USA
Florian Bieber, Professor of Southeast European History and Politics, Centre for Southeast European Studies, University of Graz, Austria
Sophie Bilderling-Shihab, former Le Monde correspondent in Moscow, France
Igor Boni, President of “Radicali Italiani”, Italy
Jean-François Bouthors, journaliste et écrivain, France
Sara Brajbart-Zajtman, Philosopher, journalist, former director of « Regards », progressive Jewish magazine, Belgium
Vincenzo Camporini, General, former Chief of Defence, Italy
Paulo Casaca, former Member of the Portuguese Parliament, former member of the European Parliament
Daniel Coche, Filmmaker, Strasbourg, France
Yves Cohen, Historian, Director of studies at EHESS, France
Catherine Coquio, Author, Professor of comparative literature at the Université Paris Cité, France
Laurent Coumel, Lecturer in Contemporary History, Department of Russian Studies, INALCO, France
Christophe D’Aloisio, Researcher affiliated to the Research Institute Religions, Spiritualities, Cultures, Societies (RSCS, UCLouvain), Director of the Institute of Orthodox Theology in Brussels, Belgium
Francesco D’Arrigo, Founder and Director of the Italian Institute for Strategic Studies « Niccolò Machiavelli ».
Emilio De Capitani, visiting professor at the Queen Mary Law School – London, UK
Frédérik Detue, Senior Lecturer in Comparative Literature at the Université Côte d’Azur, France
Vicente Díaz de Villegas y Herrería, General (ret.) Spanish Army, Security and Defence analyst, Spain
Massimiliano Di Pasquale, Associate researcher at the Gino Germani Foundation, Italy
Francois Djindjian, Honorary Professor at the University of Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne, President of the International Union of Prehistoric and Protohistoric Sciences, Permanent Secretary of the International Academy of Prehistory and Protohistory.
Abdulkhazhi Duduev, Chairman of the Civil Society and Freedom of Speech Initiative Center for the Caucasus; co-editor of DOSH, Independent Magazine about events in the Caucasus
Olivier Dupuis, former Member of the European Parliament, Belgium
Emmanuel Dupuy, President of the Institute for Prospective and Security in Europe (IPSE), France
Michel Eltchaninoff, Philosopher, editor in chief of Philosophie Magazine, France
Nino Evgenidze, Executive Director Economic Policy Research Center (EPRC), Georgia
Martin Exner, Member of Parliament, Czech Republic
Andrej Findor, Associate Professor at the Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia
Pavel Fischer, former Ambassador, Senator of the Czech Republic
François Foret, Professor of Political Science, Cevipol/Institute for European Studies, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
Natalia Gamalova, Professor of Russian Language and Literature, Department of Slavic Studies, University of Lyon 3, France
Aleksandar Georgiev, Colonel (ret.), Bulgaria
Julie Gerber, Doctor of Comparative Literature, lecturer at the Université Jean Moulin Lyon 3, France
Catherine Géry, Professor of Russian literature and cinema at Inalco, co-director of the Europes-Eurasia Research Centre (CREE)
Mridula Ghosh, Senior Lecturer of International Relations, National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy; Board Chair, East European Development Institute, Kyiv, Ukraine
Wojciech Górecki, Senior Fellow at OSW (Centre for Eastern Studies, Warsaw, Poland), author of books on the post-Soviet Caucasus and Central Asia
Nicolas Gosset, defence analyst, research fellow Russia/Eurasia at the Royal Higher Institute for Defence, Brussels, Belgium
Iegor Gran, écrivain, France
Tomasz Grzegorz Grosse, Professor, University of Warsaw, Head of Department of European Union Policies at the Institute of European Studies, Poland
Jarosław Gryz, Professor at War Studies University, Poland
Jeanyves Guérin, Professor of French literature at the Sorbonne nouvelle University, France
Domagoj Hajduković, Member of Parliament (Sabor), Croatia
Pavel Havlicek, Research Fellow at the Association for International Affairs (AMO), Czech Republic
Oleksandr Havrylenko, Professor at the V. N. Karazin National University, Kharkiv, Ukraine
Marie Holzman, Sinologist, President of Solidarité Chine
Sophie Hohmann, Assistant professor, INALCO, Paris
Jaroslava Josypyszyn, Director of the Ukrainian Library, Paris
Luba Jurgenson, Professor at Sorbonne University, France
Christian Kaunert, Professor of International Security Policy, Dublin City University and University of South Wales
Adrian Kolano, former Editor-in-Chief of the Warsaw Institute, Poland
Eerik-Niiles Kross, Member of the Estonian Parliament, former Director of Intelligence, Estonia
Justine Lacroix, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences of the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Professor, Department of Political Science, Director of the Centre for Political Theory, Belgium
Adam Lelonek, Program Officer and Regional Coordinator for the CEE, IRI Beacon Project, Poland
Sylvie Lindeperg, Professor at the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and emeritus member of the Institut Universitaire de France
Jonathan Littell, writter, Goncourt Prize, France
Mihhail Lotman, Professor emeritus Tallinn University, Research Professor University of Tartu, Estonia
Jacobo Machover, Cuban writer exiled in France, former senior lecturer at University of Avignon, France
Paul Robert Magocsi, Permanent Fellow, Royal Society of Canada—Academy of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Matas Maldeikis, Member of the Lithuanian Parliament (Seimas)
Murman Margvelashvili, Director, World Experience for Georgia, Associate Professor Ilia State University
Myroslav Marynovych, a former Soviet prisoner of conscience, Vice-rector of the Catholic University in Lviv, Ukraine
Alain Maskens, Physician, oncologist, founder and former medical coordinator of the European Organization for Cooperation in Cancer Prevention Studies (ECP), Belgium
Alvydas Medalinskas, Political Analyst, Mykolas Romeris University, Vilnius, former Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Lithuanian Parliament
Aude Merlin, Senior Lecturer, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
Emilio Moffa, Admiral (ret.), Italy
Michel Molitor, Honorary Vice-Rector of the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium
Olivier Mongin, essayist and editor, director of Esprit magazine from 1988 to 2012, France
Emmanuel Morucci, Doctor in Sociology, President of CECI (Cercle Europe Citoyennetés et identités), France
Alexander Motyl, Professor of political science, Rutgers University-Newark, United States
Véronique Nahoum-Grappe, Social Science Researcher, Paris, France
Boris Najman, Associate Professor and Researcher in Economics at University Paris East Créteil
Harry Nedelcu, Director of Policy and Business Development at Rasmussen Global, Brussels
Bartlomiej E. Nowak, political scientist and economist, lecturer at Vistula University, Poland
Lydia Obolensky, Professeur de Langue et Littérature russes, Belgique
Elsa Orgiazzi, Economist, Lecturer at the University of Rennes 1, France
Carmelo Palma, journalist, Director of Strade-on-line
Filipe Papança, Professor at the Military Academy (Amadora), Portugal
Vittorio Emanuele Parsi, Professor of International Relations, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Director of ASERI, Italy
Edouard Pflimlin, Journalist and former associate researcher at the Institut de relations internationales et stratégiques, Paris
Andrzej Podraza, Professor, Head of the Chair of International Relations and Security, Catholic University of Lublin, Poland
Elena Poptodorova, Vice President of the Atlantic Club of Bulgaria, former Ambassador to the USA, former Member of the Bulgarian Parliament
Charles Powell, Director of the Elcano Royal Institute for International and Strategic Studies, Spain
Jean-Paul Pylypczuk, Director of the publication « La parole ukrainienne », France
Eva Quistorp, Former Member of the European Parliament, Die Grünen, Berlin, Germany
Nadège Ragaru, Research Professor at Sciences Po Paris, France
Marie-Pierre Rey, Historian and political scientist, Professor of Russian and Soviet history at the University of Paris I Panthéon Sorbonne, France
François Roelants du Vivier, former Member of the European Parliament, former Belgian Senator
Sylvie Rollet, Emeritus Professor, Chair woman of the NPO « Pour l’Ukraine, pour leur liberté et la nôtre »
Malkhaz Saldadze, Associate Professor at Ilia State University, Georgia
Andrei Sannikov, Chairman of the European Belarus Foundation. Deputy Foreign Minister of Belarus (1995-1996), Presidential candidate 2010, Former Prisoner of Consciousness
Anton Shekhovtsov, Director of the Centre for Democratic Integrity, Austria
Israpil Shovkhalov, Editor-in-chief of DOSH, Independent Magazine about Events in the Caucasus
Vasile Simileanu, Director of GeoPolitica Magazine, Romania
Edvīns Šnore, film director, member of the Saeima (Parliament) of the Latvian Republic
Andrew Sorokowski, lawyer and historian, former Ukrainian researcher at Keston College, England
Paul Bernd Spahn, former Professor of economics, Goethe University, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
Brigitte Stora, Journalist, author, feminist and internationalist activist, France
Lorenzo Strik Lievers, Historian, former Member of the Italian Parliament (House and Senate), Italy
Wally Struys, Professor Emeritus, Defence Economist Royal Military Academy, Belgium
Raivo Tamm, Member of the Estonian Parliament, Chairman of the European Union Affairs Committee.
Catalin Tenită, Member of the Chamber of Deputies, Romania
Patrizia Tosini, Lecturer in History of Modern Art, Roma Tre University, Italy
Florian Trauner, Jean Monnet Chair at the Institute for European Studies of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Visiting Professor at the College of Europe, Belgium
Kazimierz Ujazdowski, Senator, associate professor of law at the University of Lodz, Poland
Cécile Vaissié, University Professor of Russian and Soviet Studies, University of Rennes 2, France
Maïrbek Vatchagaev, Chechen historian and political analyst of the North Caucasus at the Jamestown Foundation, co-editor of the journal « Caucasus Survey
Patrick Vauday, Professor of philosophy at the University of Paris 8 Saint Denis, France
Sofia Ventura, Professor of Political Science at the University of Bologna, Essayist, Italy
Michael van Walt van Praag, Professor of International Law and International Relations, Senior Fellow, Sompong Sucharitkul Center for Advanced International Legal Studies, Golden Gate University School of Law; President, Kreddha.
Lucan Way, Professor of political science, University of Toronto, Canada
Sarah Whitmore, Reader in Politics, Faculty Research Ethics Officer, School of Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, United Kingdom
Kataryna Wolczuk, Professor at the School of Government, University of Birmingham, Associate Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Programme, Chatham House, London, UK
Miroslav Žiak, Former Member of Parliament, Slovakia
Comments