German politician explains why he sees Ukraine's 'associate membership' in EU as good idea

Ukraine's "associate membership" of the European Union is a good idea because it could serve as a step toward full membership.

German politician and former MEP Elmar Brok said this in a comment to Ukrinform.

"This is a good idea," Brok said.

In this context, he referred to the experience of countries in the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), which in the past concluded an agreement with the European Union on the creation of the European Economic Area (EEA). This arrangement effectively meant full participation in the EU internal market and cooperation in many other areas. In practice, it delivered around 70% of the benefits of EU membership.

At that stage, Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland said this was "enough" for them, while Finland, Sweden, and Austria quickly went on to become full members of the European Union.