On June 23, the leaders of 27 EU member states adopted a decision to grant the EU candidate status to Ukraine. This decision would have seemed impossible at the beginning of the year, but Russian aggression has changed the situation. However, a full-scale invasion was not the only reason for the positive decision of the European Union, since the Ukrainian government, experts, think tanks and civil society have done a lot of work to achieve the status. During the war, the Ukrainian government promptly prepared answers to the questionnaire, demonstrated the strength of state institutions that continued to function effectively during the war. Abroad, Ukrainians went to rallies, while non-governmental organizations and experts organized events, discussions, wrote petitions in which they lobbied for granting Ukraine the EU candidate status.

After the initial euphoria in Ukrainian society, questions arose: what does this status really mean for Ukraine? After all, Russian propaganda and groups professing “traditionalist” values generally spread ideas about the negative nature of this event. In fact, the decision of the European Council has both positive ideological and practical implications. First of all, in this way, the civilizational choice of Ukrainians is fixed. This is the signal that the fate of Ukraine is together with the European democracies. Such a step can give an impetus to the state to further development towards full membership in the European Union.

In practical terms, the acquired status provides for Ukraine's access to European financial programs, grants and investments. These programs are aimed at improving the economic results of the state to meet the Copenhagen criteria for membership in the EU, and therefore at improving the standard of living at the level of ordinary citizens. In the case of Ukraine, this is important primarily for maintaining the functioning of the country in the conditions of a war of attrition, as well as for post-war recovery. Since Ukraine's future membership is now legally fixed, EU member states will consider investments in Ukraine as investments in strengthening the EU itself.

For example, Ukraine will have access to the IPA program, the purpose of which, according to the European Union, is to support the IPA beneficiaries in adopting and implementing the political, institutional, legal, administrative, social and economic reforms required by those beneficiaries to comply with Union values and to progressively align to Union rules, standards, policies and practices with a view to Union membership, thereby contributing to their stability, security and prosperity. In particular, IPA contains the IPARD program, under which the EU provides candidate countries with financial and technical assistance for the development of rural areas and a sustainable agricultural sector, and the harmonization of their agricultural policy with the general agricultural policy of the EU. Currently, IPA III is in effect, which was adopted for the period from 2021 to 2027. The program with a budget of 14.162 billion euros was intended for 7 countries: Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey. Probably, after the decision adopted on June 23, the budget of the program will be increased, and an individual program can be created for Ukraine within the framework of IRA III, in accordance with the needs of the state affected by the war.

Also, in the context of granting Ukraine candidate status, questions arose regarding the possible cancellation of this decision. When the European Commission recommended that Ukraine be granted candidate status on June 17, it asked for several conditions to be met in order to move forward. The demands relate to the following issues: reform of the Constitutional Court; continuation of judicial reform; anti-corruption, including the appointment of the head of the SAP; fight against money laundering; implementation of the anti-oligarchic law; harmonization of audiovisual legislation with European legislation; change in legislation on national minorities. According to Ihor Zhovkva, right after granting the status of a candidate to Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy convened a meeting with the participation of the government and the Verkhovna Rada, where he set the task to prepare a road map for the implementation of the seven recommendations. Therefore, the state leadership is seriously determined to fulfill the necessary requirements, which were fixed in order to stimulate Ukraine to further internal transformations, as was the case with visa-free travel regime. The path of European integration is the path of internal transformations, therefore, the requirements of the EU are quite clear. Without the mentioned changes, Ukraine would not be able to become a member of the EU in the future, so now everything depends on the state government.

At the same time, there is some skepticism regarding the positive aspects of the candidate's status. For example, some Ukrainian business representatives are concerned about the possible increase in bureaucracy as a result of the adoption of laws and the implementation of EU standards. A large number of these businessmen criticized Danylo Hetmantsev's fiscal reform, which increased the tax burden on business. Therefore, it is important to secure communication between the government and business, and an even more correct step would be to create a plan for the wartime economy, in particular, so that the economic strategy would be transparent and understandable both for domestic business and for potential foreign investors. 

In general, granting the EU candidate status is of great importance for the further European integration of Ukraine. The state has fixed its civilizational choice. Legally, Ukraine has the status of a country that will become a member of the EU and now belongs to the enlargement policy, not the neighborhood policy, as it was before. In economic terms, the decision of the European Council gives Ukraine the opportunity to receive financing from European funds. In addition, since Ukraine will become a member of the EU in the future, this makes the country more attractive for investment. The motivation to maintain candidate status should push the government of Ukraine to further reforms that will bring the country closer to full membership.

Sources:

1) COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION of 10.12.2021 adopting the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA III) Programming Framework for the period 2021-2027, 10.12.2022,
URL: https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/system/files/2022-01/C_2021_8914_COMMISSION_IMPLEMENTING_DECISION_EN.pdf
2) Які можливості дає Україні статус кандидата на членство в ЄС, 12.05.2022,
URL: https://www.eurointegration.com.ua/news/2022/05/12/7139271/
3) Кандидат авансом: 7 вимог, які має виконати Україна, щоб ЄС не скасував її новий статус, 18.06.2022,
URL: https://www.eurointegration.com.ua/articles/2022/06/18/7141516/
4) Президент збере нараду щодо подальшої дорожньої карти руху України в ЄС, 23.06.2022,
URL: https://www.ukrinform.ua/rubric-polytics/3513814-prezident-zbere-naradu-sodo-podalsoi-doroznoi-karti-ruhu-ukraini-v-es.html
5) Наталія Мічковська, Економічні наслідки кандидатства на вступ до ЄС: плюси та мінуси, 26.06.2022,
URL: https://kp.ua/ua/economics/a651784-ekonomichni-naslidki-kandidatstva-na-vstup-do-jes-pljusi-ta-minusi