It was my great pleasure and privilege to contribute to Genshagener Papier Stiftung Genshagen with a brief paper co-authored by Oleksandr Kraiev. Our focus was on security priorities and democracy – balancing Ukraine’s EU integration path.
We try to explain that the EU’s application of conditionality, in which aid is linked to reform progress, should consider the limitations and immediate needs imposed by the war. Updating bureaucratic processes in the context of the EU’s defence procurement, the distribution of security-related funds, the rearmament of the member states’ armies and the assessment of urgent needs in order to ensure timely and effective support for reforms are crucial aspects in this context.
To avoid mismatched policies – such as the failure to respond in a timely manner to violations of the Treaty on European Union (as in the case of Hungary), egoism-driven vetocracy in the field of Common Security and Defence Policy, and sanctions policy – initiatives concerning advocacy must be taken both by Brussels and by Kyiv in particular.
The progress assessment methodology must be updated in accordance with the realities on the ground, including the dynamic and turbulent local political and social context affected by the war and the aforementioned ambiguity.
Many thanks to Florent Marciacq and Theresia Töglhofer for inspiring us and driving us through this publication's challenges.
