German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has proposed “innovative solutions” to accelerate the integration of Ukraine, the Western Balkans and Moldova into the European Union, arguing that the current enlargement process is taking too long.

Axar.az reports, citing European Western Balkans, in a letter to EU leaders, Merz suggested granting Ukraine an “associate membership” status as an interim step toward full EU membership.

“We do not have time for further delays. It is now time to boldly move on with Ukraine’s EU integration through innovative solutions as immediate steps forward,” Merz wrote.

Under the proposal, Ukraine could participate in EU institutions without voting rights, gradually adopt EU legislation, and receive stronger political and security commitments from member states.

Merz also called for faster integration of the Western Balkans and Moldova through measures such as privileged access to the EU single market and closer involvement in EU decision-making.

“I suggest that we look into innovative solutions also for those candidate countries which have been preparing for their accession already for a long time now, and that we accelerate their accession process as well,” he said.

The German chancellor stressed that full EU membership remains the ultimate goal for all candidate countries, while advocating gradual integration to maintain momentum and encourage further reforms.