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| Screenshot of YouGov poll relating to the countries that are applying for EU membership |
On February 28, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a formal application by his country to join the EU.
After the Russian occupation, Zelenski demanded Ukraine's immediate membership in the EU, proposing that this be done through a 'new special procedure'.
On the same day, EC President Ursula von der Leyen said "they are one of us and we want them to be part of the EU".
Ukraine has not yet been recognized as an official candidate country for EU membership and the process may take a long time.
According to a recent YouGov poll, leading EU countries such as Germany, France, Spain and Italy are in favor of Kyiv's membership.
42 to 60% of citizens in these countries answered that Ukraine should be allowed to become an EU member state.
EU citizens were also asked about candidate countries such as Albania, Montenegro, Northern Macedonia, or Serbia.
The most accepted country by EU citizens turns out to be Montenegro, which has received positive opinions from the Germans, Italians, and Spaniards but not the French.
For Albania, the question of whether should be allowed the EU membership, has been answered positively by Spaniards and Italians.
The Germans consider Albania the most undesirable country in the Western Balkans, giving a more negative assessment than Kosovo, which is not yet a candidate country.