Professors Petrov and Hillion will introduce the topic, drawing on an editorial in Common Market Law Review that they recently co-authored. Here is an excerpt from the editorial:
Ukraine formally applied for EU membership on 28 February 2022 in the most tragic circumstances. President Zelenskyy signed the letter of application just a few days after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of the country, and as Russian troops were only about 15 kilometres from his office in Kyiv.
The formal application was an act of despair by a country already at war since 2014, and now fighting for its very survival. But the Ukrainian President’s bold move was also salutary: the application considerably boosted the combatting morale of the Ukrainian nation, and successfully challenged the EU to provide extensive support and live up to its fundamental principles.
Beyond the unprecedented measures the Union and its Member States took to assist Ukraine’s war effort, the EU’s reaction to the application – which was immediately followed by similar bids from Moldova and Georgia – was remarkably fast by any standards.
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The European Council’s decision to grant candidate status to Ukraine would probably not have happened in pre-war circumstances. While the country’s aspirations to join the EU have been clear for some time, formally applying for membership was not seriously contemplated in Kyiv before the Russian invasion. Russia’s aggression thus paradoxically turned into reality the long-cherished dream of Ukrainians formally to engage on an EU membership course.
Participation via Zoom is also possible: https://uio.zoom.us/j/66290855867?pwd=aDFJSWtxa0N0NVNEQjJjelluYURyUT09