Ukrainian President retains hope to become a member of the European Parliament
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko maintains hope of becoming a member of the European Parliament after completing his term as president.
“When I am asked what I want to do… after finishing the presidential term, I say: for me, there is one worthy job. I dream of working a member of the European Parliament,” he said at a youth forum in Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi.
In order to achieve this, Ukraine must become a member of the European Union, and Poroshenko is planning, if he wins the election, to use his second term to prepare Ukraine to enter the EU.
“I am setting a strategic goal for myself and for the whole government: to apply for membership in the European Union and receive a NATO Membership Action Plan no later than 2023,” said the Ukrainian president.
He stressed that this is not about formal gestures. If Ukraine’s ambitions are to be realized it is about the degree of partnership and interaction.
“Achieving this is not easy, but it is necessary. Therefore, it is possible. Ukraine has never been this close to being in the European Union as it is right now,” highlighted the president.
Poroshenko was elected president of Ukraine in May 2014 for a five-year term. The Ukrainian constitution restricts the tenure of the President to two terms, that is, Poroshenko must leave his post either way in 2024. Citizens of EU countries can run for deputies in the European Parliament.