Navigating Ukraine’s EU Accession: Aligning Security and Integration Strategies

Ukraine’s future membership in the EU and the official negotiation process turn a spotlight on a variety of topics, but ensuring security and defence are the overarching challenges. In a high-level workshop, Bertelsmann Stiftung and Zentrum Liberale Moderne brought together think-tank experts and officials from various EU member states and Ukraine to discuss these matters in an open and critical manner.  

The opening of the EU accession negotiations marked a new stage in EU-Ukraine relations, which both organisations have been following regularly over the course of previous workshops and analytical papers. The current process is taking place under unique circumstances: the largest war in Europe in 70 years, intensified by Russia’s attacks against Ukraine’s civil infrastructure, which is critical for the country’s livelihood, and the re-set of the security order and governance in Europe. 

Other developments affect security and EU integration in parallel. For example, the future direction of the United States as a security provider, but also as an economic partner and competitor, is unpredictable. In addition, a new European Commission and a European Parliament are starting their work with difficult majority constellations, and key EU countries are facing domestic challenges. 

The workshop explored some of the most pressing issues pertaining to security during Ukraine’s accession path. The main focus was on assessing how the EU and Ukraine can work together more closely in the field of security to ensure that the conditions for a robust accession process are met. 

An accompanying policy paper outlines how the EU is now pursuing enlargement as a strategy to position itself as a more influential (security) actor in a world increasingly shaped by geopolitical rivalries. It highlights the connections between security and the accession process while examining the resilience of both the EU and Ukraine in managing the identified uncertainties. Central to the analysis are not only the Negotiation Framework and considerations on integrating Ukraine into European defence initiatives prior to EU membership, but also the limitations of bilateral security agreements, insights into Ukraine’s contribution to European security, and an assessment of European defence overall. The paper concludes with recommendations for the path forward. 

The policy paper was finalised considering inputs during the workshop and is a joint publication of Bertelsmann Stiftung in cooperation with the Zentrum Liberale Moderne.