Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze: Support for European integration must be resistant to the temptation of the “third way”
03 April 2025, 16:33
The Chair of the Committee on Ukraine’s Integration into the EU, Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, took part in the discussion “Ukraine’s EU Membership: Not If, But When”. This conference launched the Ukraine2EU program to support Ukraine on its path to joining the European Union. Representatives of Ukraine, the EU, Lithuania and Denmark participated in the conference.
Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze spoke in the discussion “Defining Ukraine’s EU Accession Strategy: Balancing Quick Wins and Moving Towards Full Membership”. She noted that since the start of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine has received strong emotional support for EU integration from its society. This emotional support has manifested itself in two dimensions – as a request to the authorities regarding where to move next, and as a response to the goodwill and assistance from European partners. “The main task for us is to transform this emotional support into a deep and lasting one. This will not be easy because it must be resistant to Russian influence. The propaganda machine will not stop, fuelling a bunch of myths against Ukraine’s progress towards the EU. Now, voices are being heard again, offering Ukraine a “third way”. We need to resist this temptation,” said Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze.
According to her, support for Ukraine’s European integration must also address objections from European countries that may see a threat to their national economic interests or may be influenced by the Russian propaganda machine. “We need to not only work with Ukrainian public opinion, but also invest a lot in shaping public opinion in partner countries. We need to work not only with institutions, but also with countries. And here the role of the Parliament and civil society can be much wider than the role of the Government,” said the Chair of the Committee on Ukraine’s Integration into the EU. She emphasised the importance of clearly communicating the benefits of European integration to Ukrainian society. “We, politicians, also need to learn to communicate how the complex things we discuss in the Parliament will affect the life of every individual. Europeans who have already experienced these benefits are the best voices to explain what European integration means for Ukrainians today and in the future,” said Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze.
Regarding the challenges and difficulties on the path to European integration, the Chair of the Committee believes that Ukraine lacks consistency in the movement towards EU membership, despite its rapid dynamics. “We often implement tasks like a student on the last night before the exam, trying to pass some bills just before a deadline under the Ukraine facility, a memorandum with the IMF, a road map or a screening. This approach needs to be changed,” said the Committee Chair.
She also called on Government officials to avoid making loud promises in their forecasts regarding EU membership. “We need systemic planning and monitoring of the tasks that we have to accomplish within the framework of the reforms. The main goal for us is to create a system that, without waiting for the completion of the negotiations with the European Union, would fully comply with EU foundations. “The value base of the Copenhagen criteria — anti-corruption issues, the rule of law, and freedoms — will enable all other tasks to be implemented much faster and with better quality. In that way, we will be able to make changes that will ensure a better quality of people’s lives," concluded Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze.
Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze spoke in the discussion “Defining Ukraine’s EU Accession Strategy: Balancing Quick Wins and Moving Towards Full Membership”. She noted that since the start of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine has received strong emotional support for EU integration from its society. This emotional support has manifested itself in two dimensions – as a request to the authorities regarding where to move next, and as a response to the goodwill and assistance from European partners. “The main task for us is to transform this emotional support into a deep and lasting one. This will not be easy because it must be resistant to Russian influence. The propaganda machine will not stop, fuelling a bunch of myths against Ukraine’s progress towards the EU. Now, voices are being heard again, offering Ukraine a “third way”. We need to resist this temptation,” said Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze.
According to her, support for Ukraine’s European integration must also address objections from European countries that may see a threat to their national economic interests or may be influenced by the Russian propaganda machine. “We need to not only work with Ukrainian public opinion, but also invest a lot in shaping public opinion in partner countries. We need to work not only with institutions, but also with countries. And here the role of the Parliament and civil society can be much wider than the role of the Government,” said the Chair of the Committee on Ukraine’s Integration into the EU. She emphasised the importance of clearly communicating the benefits of European integration to Ukrainian society. “We, politicians, also need to learn to communicate how the complex things we discuss in the Parliament will affect the life of every individual. Europeans who have already experienced these benefits are the best voices to explain what European integration means for Ukrainians today and in the future,” said Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze.
Regarding the challenges and difficulties on the path to European integration, the Chair of the Committee believes that Ukraine lacks consistency in the movement towards EU membership, despite its rapid dynamics. “We often implement tasks like a student on the last night before the exam, trying to pass some bills just before a deadline under the Ukraine facility, a memorandum with the IMF, a road map or a screening. This approach needs to be changed,” said the Committee Chair.
She also called on Government officials to avoid making loud promises in their forecasts regarding EU membership. “We need systemic planning and monitoring of the tasks that we have to accomplish within the framework of the reforms. The main goal for us is to create a system that, without waiting for the completion of the negotiations with the European Union, would fully comply with EU foundations. “The value base of the Copenhagen criteria — anti-corruption issues, the rule of law, and freedoms — will enable all other tasks to be implemented much faster and with better quality. In that way, we will be able to make changes that will ensure a better quality of people’s lives," concluded Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze.