ROB SCHMITZ, HOST:
Those uncertainties from the war in the Middle East, soaring energy prices and inflation have driven the world to the brink of recession. That was the warning from the International Monetary Fund in its economic outlook released this week as officials from around the world convened in Washington for an annual meeting. One of them is Marta Kos. She's the European Union commissioner responsible for fostering the EU's relationship with countries trying to join the union. She came into our studio straight from the meeting, and I asked her what the atmosphere was like.
MARTA KOS: You know, we expected that, you know, the crisis like this will affect all of us. But first, we didn't expect it will still going on. And secondly, you know, we count in the - in Europe. In the first 45 days since the beginning of the crisis in the Middle East, we have paid, in the European Union, 22 billion euro more for fossil fuels.
SCHMITZ: Wow.
KOS: And now, of course, we are looking for the possibilities, how to help the citizens and, of course, also the companies. If the oil prices are going up, you know, the whole businesses is suffering. That's what we really want to coordinate all the EU 27 member states how to better tackle this crisis.
SCHMITZ: So how is the European Union stepping up to this moment? What are they going to do?
KOS: We have already had some experiences from the crisis in 2022. So what we have done now is better coordination, you know, helping each other. We have adopted the strategy that we want to get out of the dependency of Russian oil and gas until the end of '27. So this is difficult for us. And on the other side, next week, our president, Ursula von der Leyen, when we have the European Council, meaning meeting of the prime ministers and presidents of our member states, they will discuss what to do all together to help.
SCHMITZ: So the executive director of the International Energy Agency said this week that Europe has maybe six weeks or so of remaining jet fuel supplies. He called this potentially the largest energy crisis we have ever faced. What could the ripple effects of this crisis look like?
KOS: Indeed, the biggest crisis could be actually on the field of kerosene, meaning the fuel for the airplanes. The biggest question mark now is when the crisis will stop in the Middle East. So there is still some time. Luckily, also the companies are preparing. I know that some of the airplane companies have decided to cut some of the flights. So we will also have - as customers, we will have to accommodate, and of course, we already pay much higher prices.
SCHMITZ: So I mean, some of the talking points that Trump has brought up about the EU - you know, we've heard these same talking points from far-right leaders throughout Europe, like Viktor Orbán disparaging the EU. Last weekend, Hungary voted Viktor Orbán out of office. What impact will that election have on the European Union as a whole?
KOS: I'm happy you mentioned the elections in Hungary because these have been very important elections for the future of the European Union, also for the spirit and for the values of the European Union. If I go a step back, it is not nice to hear from the United States that European civilization is in a decline, that our economy will be ruined soon, that the only real democracy is in Hungary. Yes, indeed, the only real democracy is in Hungary because what happened last Sunday is the proof that democracy won, that Europe won.
You know, it was not so much ideological. Some people have tried to give a picture - this was the fight between the conservatives or liberals or social democrats. Not at all. If this was a fight - and it was. It was about - between democratic way or autocratic way. One very important information - the turnout - you know this, you've been there...
SCHMITZ: Yeah.
KOS: ...Was 80%.
SCHMITZ: It's incredible.
KOS: You know, it's so good, meaning the people were aware that their democracy is not democracy anymore, so they went to the polls to change.
SCHMITZ: Let's go back to Ukraine. Ukraine has long wanted to join the European Union. Where does Ukraine's campaign to join currently stand?
KOS: Ukraine is a very special case among all the candidate countries. For the first time, EU is negotiating with a country which is at war. It has never happened before.
SCHMITZ: Right.
KOS: So the process of the negotiations is very much demanding, but still, Ukraine is delivering. We have had the fastest screening process. This is a process where we try to find out what needs to be done in the country who wants to become a member. It was the fastest one. Can you imagine, while the bombs are falling on the country, Ukrainian government is doing the reforms?
SCHMITZ: So as they're fighting a war, they're compiling this massive administrative task to try and show, hey, we have the legal credentials. We have all of these things in place to join the EU, and there is a massive amount of action that every, you know, applicant has to do before they're considered to join.
KOS: No, there are thousands and thousands of acts they have to adopt. You know, just to compare - when Sweden applied for the EU membership, it was the most developed - economically and democratically - country. But even for Sweden, it took three years.
SCHMITZ: Wow.
KOS: You know, what is happening in Ukraine at the same time? So they are fighting the wars. They are fighting to be alive. At the same time, they go through the transformation process in the economy and in the society. So they are building up new Ukraine while they are fighting the war. And, you know, we see the result. For instance, now Ukraine is capable to fight the Russian army.
SCHMITZ: How close is Ukraine to becoming a member of the EU?
KOS: I can't say the date, but if everything goes well, four, five years or more. It really depends, you know, how fast Ukraine will do those reforms and, of course, how the member states will be ready to accept. So no enlargement can happen without the unanimity decision of the EU members.
SCHMITZ: That's Marta Kos. She is the EU commissioner for enlargement. Commissioner Kos, thank you.
KOS: You're welcome. It was a pleasure.
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