EU should not 'lower the bar' to take in Ukraine, says Denmark - FT

FILE PHOTO: Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen delivers remarks with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a media appearance before a bilateral meeting at the U.S. State Department in Washington, U.S., February 13, 2023. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo

(Reuters) - Denmark supports EU membership for Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and the western Balkans but "geopolitical circumstances" did not justify skating over governance reforms, Finance Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen told the Financial Times on Thursday.

The EU risks "importing instability" if it relaxes its standards on democracy and corruption to hasten the accession of Ukraine and other candidate countries, Rasmussen said in an interview with the newspaper.