Is it true that the condition for Ukraine’s accession to the EU is a refusal to glorify Bandera?

Many Russian sources write that in order to join the European Union, Ukraine was required to stop glorifying the ideologist of Ukrainian nationalism Stepan Bandera. We checked whether the conditions for Ukraine's membership in the EU actually contain such a clause.

17 June 2022 European Commission (EC) recommended grant Ukraine candidate status for membership of the European Union (EU). The very next day, some Russian media published headlines “Ukraine has been given a condition for membership in the European Union.” This condition allegedly became a refusal to glorify Stepan Bandera. TV channel "Ren-TV" wrote, that “Nezalezhnaya is called upon to abandon the praise of those who collaborated with the Nazis. Namely, to abandon the cult of Stepan Bandera, otherwise EU membership may be called into question.” The news was picked up users social networks, notingthat Europe has finally recognized the presence of Nazism in Ukraine.

First, let's figure out at what stage of accession to the EU the applicant country receives a conditional list of requirements. When the EC recommends a country as a candidate for accession to the EU (namely this stage Ukraine's application is pending), this is not a guarantee that the country will become a candidate. The final decision is made by the EU Council. To guarantee a positive response, the European Commission ordered Ukraine to implement seven steps. After successfully obtaining candidate status, Ukraine will receive another list of conditions - this time for joining the EU. These conditions relate to the principles of democracy, free markets, developed government institutions, the rule of law and the rule of law. Bringing all these aspects into line with EU standards is sometimes takes decades. Based on the results of the reforms, the EU Council, the European Parliament and the EU member states will decide on the candidate’s accession to the European Union.

Judging by the headlines in the Russian media, refusal to glorify Bandera was allegedly included in the list of conditions for Ukraine’s accession to the EU. However, Ukraine has not yet reached this stage and has not yet received such a list. List Of the seven steps that Ukraine received from the EC, so far it only concerns obtaining candidate status. But this list says nothing about Bandera either. As he writes Deutsche Welle, the first two points are related to judicial reform. The next two are dedicated to the fight against corruption. The fifth and sixth concerns the fight against oligarchs and the development of independent media. The seventh point is about legislative reforms regarding national minorities.

Then where did the condition about “refusing to glorify Bandera for the sake of EU membership” come from? From the very first paragraphs of such publications, it becomes clear that sensational headlines are far from the real content of the articles. The publications explain that such a “condition for joining the EU” was expressed Arnaud Klarsfeld, lawyer for the French Association of Sons and Daughters of Jews Deported from France (FFDJF). On the day the EC report on Ukraine’s candidacy was released, Klarsfeld was invited to appear on the French television channel BFMTV to discuss this news. It was there that he said he supported Ukraine's entry into the "European family," but that to do so, Ukraine should "reflect on its history" and stop glorifying those who collaborated with the Nazis. It becomes clear that when writing the headlines, the media used clickbait* and framing** tactics: the “conditions” promised to readers turned out to be only the opinion of one person who is in no way connected with the governing bodies of the EU.

How fair noted Center for Combating Disinformation of Ukraine, the opinion of an individual private person does not constitute an official position. The actual conditions for Ukraine's accession to the EU have not yet been formulated. And in the list of steps to obtain candidate status, nothing is said about Ukrainian nationalists.

*Clickbait (English clickbait: click - “click”, bait - “bait”) - a sensational headline that forces the reader to follow the link to the article. Often such headlines exaggerate, distort the essence, or do not correspond to the content of the article at all.
**Framing (English framing: frame - “frame”) is a technique of focusing attention on specific aspects of a topic in order to form perception. In the media, this technique allows you to shift the emphasis, omitting or emphasizing certain details in order to manipulate the reader’s opinion.

Cover image: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky deliver statements following talks in Kyiv, June 11, 2022. Source: Politico

Not true

What do our verdicts mean?

Read on the topic:

1. Meduza. It looks like Ukraine will finally become a candidate for membership in the European Union. When will it start? And how will Russia react to this?
2. TASS. How does the procedure for joining the European Union work?
3. Is it true that Ukrainian nationalists were convicted at the Nuremberg trials?