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Every round of EU enlargement has been accompanied by concerns among member states about increased competition in key sectors of the economy, but the European Commission is prepared to work through these issues, according to EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarína Mathernová.
“Economic concerns have accompanied every stage of EU enlargement. There is nothing unusual about that,” she said in an interview with Ukrinform.
As examples, Mathernová pointed to the accession of Spain and Portugal, when French and Italian winemakers feared increased competition. She also cited the EU’s 2004 enlargement, when some Europeans worried about an influx of “Polish plumbers” and “Czech truck drivers.”
“Whenever major changes take place, economic concerns inevitably arise. Besides, the European Union has not undergone an enlargement since 2013, when Croatia joined. So this is entirely natural,” she noted.
Commenting on concerns expressed by some member states regarding Ukraine’s powerful agricultural sector, Mathernová said:
“It would be beneficial if all sides understood this and worked to resolve existing issues. Ukraine is highly competitive, and that naturally creates significant anxiety among European farmers. We will simply have to work through these questions,” she said. “And the European Commission will be there to help and determine the source of each specific concern.”
According to the ambassador, certain temporary arrangements may be introduced in relation to specific sectors of the economy.
“However, this will not diminish the value of EU enlargement for either side when viewed in the broader context, even if temporary provisions are introduced in certain areas,” she stressed.
Mathernová recalled that following the 2004 enlargement, most EU members introduced seven-year transitional restrictions on the free movement of workers.
“Citizens of the new member states could travel freely, but in most EU countries they were not allowed to work. Seven years passed, the adaptation period ended, and now it is part of history that hardly anyone even remembers,” she said.
As previously reported, Mathernová has described 2030 as a “viable” target date for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union.
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