German chancellor pushes special EU status for Ukraine

In a letter to EU leaders, the conservative leader proposed immediately integrating Ukraine, Russia’s neighbor, more closely into EU institutions. However, it would not initially be granted full membership or voting rights.

Merz justified the initiative by citing Ukraine’s unique situation as a country at war and the significant progress made in accession negotiations.

According to him, the proposal is also intended to facilitate the peace talks initiated by US President Donald Trump—among other things, through a political commitment by member states to apply the EU’s mutual assistance clause to Ukraine as well.

The special status would send a strong political signal “that Ukraine and its citizens so urgently need in their ongoing struggle against Russian aggression,” according to the letter, which was made available to the German Press Agency (dpa) in Brussels.

Meanwhile, Merz believed that Ukraine’s timely full accession to the EU remained unrealistic.

The chancellor cited “countless hurdles” and the politically difficult ratification processes in several member states as reasons.

“It is obvious that we cannot complete the accession process in the short term,” he wrote to EU Council President Antonio Costa, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Greek Cypriot administration President Nikos Christodoulides, representing the EU Council Presidency.

No ‘light’ membership, says Merz

To ensure rapid progress continues, Merz proposed that the EU negotiate “immediately and without delay” on all issues relevant to accession. Furthermore, he suggested discussing the idea of “associated membership,” which could be a decisive step on Ukraine's path to full membership.

“It would not be ‘membership light,’ but would go far beyond the existing Association Agreement and further accelerate the accession process,” Merz explained.

According to the chancellor’s vision, this special status could include Ukraine’s participation in meetings of the European Council and the Council of the EU -- although without voting rights.

Also conceivable would be a role as an associate member of the European Commission without a portfolio and without voting rights, associate members of the European Parliament without voting rights, and an associate judge at the European Court of Justice in the form of an “Assistant Rapporteur.”

Merz described the proposal as a political solution intended to bring Ukraine “significantly closer to the European Union and its core institutions” immediately. This would not replace the ongoing accession negotiations, but rather promote and support them, he said.

From the chancellor’s perspective, it is important that neither the ratification of an accession treaty under Article 49 of the EU Treaty nor treaty amendments would be necessary for this. Instead, he spoke merely of “a strong political agreement.”

Merz also advocated a step-by-step approach when it comes to adopting EU law and accessing EU programs. Under this approach, Ukraine would not, for the time being, contribute to the EU budget or benefit from it in the same way as regular members. However, programs under direct management could be gradually opened up, subject to safeguard clauses.

'Substantial security guarantee' as a goal

A particularly far-reaching part of the proposal concerned security policy.

The chancellor suggested that Ukraine fully align its foreign and security policy with that of the EU.

At the same time, member states should make a political commitment to apply the mutual assistance clause under Article 42(7) of the EU Treaty to Ukraine as well, “in order to create a substantial security guarantee.”

As a safeguard, Merz envisioned a fallback mechanism or, alternatively, a sunset clause in case that Ukraine violated the EU’s fundamental values or made significant setbacks in the accession negotiations.

While the chancellor acknowledged that his proposal raises questions regarding political, technical, and legal feasibility, he noted that these can be resolved if the special status is approached constructively.

“My goal would be to reach an agreement soon and to establish a dedicated task force to work out the details,” Merz wrote in the letter. He said he looked forward to discussing his ideas with the heads of state and government and top EU officials.