Ukraine will soon find out whether the EU agrees to start accession negotiations. Preliminary experts are quite positive.

There is active discussion about the sequence of steps and the ultimate goal of Ukraine's EU integration among experts and politicians.

Most agree that the "classic accession" model has exhausted its potential.

Therefore, several concepts of the sequence and progress of candidate countries' path to EU membership have been developed: the concept of fast-track accession, the concept of phased accession, the concept of the European Political Community, and the concept of four tiers of membership.

Read about how suitable they are for Ukraine the article by Tetiana Bohdan, Director of Research at the Growford Institute: Four New EU Expansion Concepts: Do They Suit Ukraine?

1. The most straightforward and beneficial approach for Ukraine is the fast-track accession or accession through war.

Supporters of "accession through war" acknowledge that peace must be established in Ukraine before it can fully join the EU.

However, they argue that the EU should provide Ukraine with a fast track to start negotiations as a sign of solidarity with Ukraine and as a signal to Russia.

        2. An alternative model, phased accession, involves the gradual opening of obligations and privileges of EU membership to the candidate country. The candidate gains access to EU privileges step by step, with the adoption of the European acquis and other important steps in the accession process.

Austria's Foreign Minister, Alexander Schallenberg, is a vocal advocate of the idea of gradual integration among EU politicians.

3. The concept of the "four tiers of membership" is another influential concept of EU expansion. On 19 September, the Independent German-French Group of Experts (The Group of Twelve) presented this concept at a meeting of the General Affairs Council in Brussels.

The authors of the report envision the creation of four levels or tiers of membership, two of which are outside the EU. New members are expected to have the right to choose any level of integration.

These "concentric circles" include: the inner circle, whose members have even closer ties than the EU (e.g., the Eurozone); the EU itself; associated members (only with the internal market in common); and the new European Political Community.

4. The European Political Community is a political platform open to European states that share common democratic values and aim to strengthen political, economic, cultural, and security ties.

An impartial analysis of the proposed EU accession concepts indicates that the most suitable option for Ukraine would be fast full membership with all its benefits.

Despite its attractiveness, the scenario of Ukraine's fast-track EU accession is not yet realistic or ready for implementation any time soon, within 2-3 years.

The concept of phased accession is quite appealing for Ukraine. Ukraine should aim for and take all necessary steps to achieve full EU membership—whether through fast-track or phased accession.