Over 60% of Ukrainians believe in EU accession within a decade — survey

EU flags
EU flags

The majority of Ukrainians are optimistic about their country's timeframe for joining the European Union: according to a new survey, 60.5% believe that Ukraine could become an EU member in less than a decade, Ukrainian newspaper ZN reported on Nov. 9, based on a poll conducted by the Razumkov Centre.

Read also: PM Shmyhal highlights Ukraine’s progress toward EU accession talks

The survey shows that 60.5% of Ukrainians think EU accession is likely within ten years. A third of them, or 20.6% of the total, suggest it could happen within two years, echoing the rather optimistic statements by Ukrainian authorities.

Additionally, 19.9% of those surveyed consider a three-to-four-year timeframe realistic for joining the EU, while 14.3% believe it could take five to six years, and 5.7% forecast seven to nine years.

A minority, 3.7%, expect that Ukraine could join the European Union within 10 to 15 years, and a mere 2% believe it may take longer than 15 years, with 6.1% choosing the option "never."

Read also: EU sets March deadline for Ukraine to strengthen anti-graft reforms to advance membership bid

Notably, nearly 28% of participants could not determine how long Ukraine's journey to EU membership might take or refused to answer the question.

Read also: Turkey decries EU report as unfairly biased against its stalled membership bid

The survey was conducted face-to-face from Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, 2023, across 22 Ukrainian oblasts and the capital city of Kyiv. A total of 2019 respondents aged 18 and above participated. The theoretical margin of error does not exceed 2.3%.

Read also: Czech President Pavel hints at 'negotiations' as Ukraine 'can't achieve advantage' in war

On Nov. 8, the European Commission made a historical recommendation to initiate negotiations on EU accession for Ukraine and Moldova.

The Commission believes that Kyiv has sufficiently met key criteria for the talks to begin. Now, the final decision rests with the European Council, meaning leaders from the 27 EU countries must come to a unanimous agreement.

We’re bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine