Ukraine’s EU accession could cut funding for Eastern European countries, Georgian PM

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has said Ukraine’s accession to the European Union could lead to the loss of EU financial assistance for Eastern European countries, citing this as one of the financial considerations behind doubts over Ukraine’s membership prospects.

Speaking to the press on Friday in Armenia, Kobakhidze was asked to comment on Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s assessment that Ukraine’s accession to the bloc could take 15 or even 20 years.

Kobakhidze said the assessment was based on political, technical and financial considerations.

“Ukraine’s admission to the European Union could completely eliminate the EU assistance available to all Eastern European countries. That is one example of a technical and financial reason,” he said.

“There are many other reasons, and, most importantly, political ones. So, once again, I would say that the Hungarian prime minister’s reasoning is quite well-founded,” Kobakhidze added.