There is a serious problem with the population expecting that EU membership will make their lives better. I am not sure where does this belief come from? It is not based on anything concrete that I know of. For one, EU will encourage strong currency to stimulate imports, and destroy domestic production. Ukraine will be flooded with products from EU, paid for by various loans, and will further damage agriculture. The industry will die. The countries of Eastern Europe, like Poland and Baltics, saw "prosperity" only by jumping into the banking-generated economy. The services economy grew, and the status of finances unclear. The Baltics are particularly vulnerable, as Swedish banks are protected, while the taxpayer will be burdened with paying off the bailouts. Poland is not transparent, and there is an inexplicable balance sheet that does not seem to show the real state of exports vs. imports. As for poorer countries, such as Romania and Bulgaria, the prospects are actually dim. Serbia is probably the best indicator. In its meeting "the standards" and "reforms", the export is being killed while import subsidized. All that with IMF loans. How long will it last? Bulgaria and Romania by all math are worse off as members. And what about once prosperous Greece? Look at the mess that EU brought it into? Not all countries are good candidates. Poorer, agricultural, with industry in transition, will not make it. Such countries can only remain in semi-colonial status. They are better off being alone and fending for themselves via world trade. Just study Greece, and understand. EU can make things worse. How many decades is Ukraine ready to wait for the benefits of EU? One, two or five decades? Or perhaps forever? Or is it going to stand up, work and live like the rest of the world that is not in EU, and is doing great.