During his address at the conclusion of the informal EU summit in Cyprus, CDU leader Friedrich Merz announced a “pathway strategy” for Ukraine’s integration into the European Union. He noted that while immediate EU membership remains impossible, he proposed deeper integration into European institutions.
Merz suggested alternatives such as Ukraine participating regularly in EU Council or Parliament sessions, even if those participations do not carry voting rights. He confirmed that he presented this plan during the summit and received backing for it. However, he was candid about the political hurdles, acknowledging that although open resistance was absent during the informal summit, considerable reservations still exist within the EU Council, making subsequent negotiations highly challenging.
Shifting focus to financial aid, Merz also spoke to the matter of the recently allocated EU funds for Ukraine. He appealed to his cabinet colleagues, urging them not to use the approval of these funds as an opportunity to reduce or eliminate supplementary support coming from bilateral agreements. He concluded with a strong statement, asserting that continued cooperation with Ukraine must proceed irrespective of the approved EU loan.