How do you join the European Union?

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has put the EU’s enlargement back in the spotlight, with several neighbouring countries asking to fast-track their applications to join the bloc.

While Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for “fast-track membership” to help his country withstand Russia’s attacks, joining the EU is a multi-layered process where specific requirements will need to be met before becoming a member. Georgia and Moldova have also submitted membership bids in the aftermath of the invasion.

“Becoming a member of the EU is a complex procedure which does not happen overnight,” according to the European Union’s website. “Once an applicant country meets the conditions for membership, it must implement EU rules and regulations in all areas.”

On average, accession negotiations can take up to five years, but “the timeframe is bound to the ability for the country to achieve the necessary domestic reforms and will also depend on the political will of all sides,” explains the research group UK in a Changing Europe, in a March 2020 analysis.

In some cases it might be quicker - for example, in the accession of Austria, Finland and Sweden. But, for the newest member of the EU, Croatia, the process took almost eight years.

Becoming a member is typically a four-step process: application, candidacy, negotiations and accession. Once a country has submitted an application to the European Council – as Ukraine did on 28 February 2022 – the European Commission undertakes an assessment of whether the candidate country meets the criteria to join.

Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey are already EU candidate countries. Successful candidates can join the EU once they adopt the EU common rules and regulations - a process that can take some time. These rules are divided into different policy fields or ‘chapters’, each of which is negotiated separately. These chapters cover areas from taxation to intellectual property law or the environment.

While several leaders of EU member countries have voiced support of Ukraine’s bid to join, a decision to grant a country candidate status needs to be unanimous among all 27 member states.

The bloc and other nations including the US, the UK, Switzerland and Japan have adopted sanctions aimed at curtailing Russia’s military progress, and Ukraine becoming a member of EU could be seen as part of this response.

For Zelensky, EU membership is a key plank in the fight back against Russia.

“We ask the European Union for Ukraine’s immediate accession via a new special procedure,” he said, according to Politico. “Our goal is to be together with all Europeans and, most importantly, to be on an equal footing. I’m sure it’s fair. I’m sure it’s possible.”