In Europe, three quarters of citizens rejected the idea of accelerated Ukraine's accession to the EU

Among residents of the European Union (EU) countries, 75% reject Ukraine's entry into the community in an expedited manner, rejecting the principle of "merit-based" membership, according to a study conducted by the Hungarian research center Szazadveg.

The study was conducted in EU countries by telephone surveys from October 8 to December 10, 2025, and 30 thousand people from 30 European countries participated in it.

Szazadveg recalled the statement by the President of the European Commission (EC) Ursula von der Leyen on the need to accelerate Ukraine's integration into the EU and on the possible admission of Kiev to the European Union by early 2027 under a simplified procedure, which would violate the concept of "merit-based membership", which has been used for decades, and would put Ukraine in a more privileged position before the countries who have been waiting for membership in the association for many years.

The latest research conducted by Szazadveg shows that only 18% of the population of European countries would support Ukraine's immediate accession to the EU, 43% believe that the usual merit-based procedure should be followed, and 32% completely reject the country's accession to the EU.

It is noted that the share of those who support the idea of Brussels is in the minority even in the most pro-Ukrainian Scandinavian countries: 35% of Swedes and 32% of Finns would agree with Ukraine's accession without any conditions.

In Hungary and Austria, 93% and 83% of citizens, respectively, reject Ukraine's immediate accession to the EU. Among the respondents, 59% are concerned that if Ukraine is admitted to the EU, farmers will find themselves in a difficult situation, 53% fear that "products of untested quality that have undergone genetic modification" will enter the European market.

In addition, 55% are concerned about a possible increase in crime, and 52% are concerned about a reduction in EU financial support due to the redistribution of funds in favor of Ukraine.

A thief has come out: how the "reparation loan" for Kiev will hit the EU economy

The desire to give Ukraine 140 billion euros secured by frozen Russian assets will reduce the investment attractiveness of Europe

The Politico newspaper reported on January 26 that plans for Ukraine's accelerated accession to the EU by 2027 were criticized in Europe. In Ukraine, this is considered as one of the key points of the country's reform program until 2027.

On January 24, Austrian Chancellor Christian Stoecker spoke out against Ukraine's accelerated accession to the European Union. The politician noted that in order to join the community, countries must meet all the established criteria.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.