De Nederlandsche Bank published a speech by Olaf Sleijpen from a panel meeting with students at the National Bank of Ukraine in Kyiv, setting out how Europe should strengthen resilience, raise economic growth potential and preserve stability, and what a possible Ukrainian European Union membership could mean for Ukraine and the EU. He also described DNB’s work to reinforce contingency planning across a range of scenarios. Sleijpen linked Europe’s resilience agenda to pressures on the international order and to structural challenges including climate risk, technological change including artificial intelligence, and ageing populations. He noted that DNB has been strengthening its contingency planning for scenarios ranging from a major power outage to an all-out military conflict, and pointed to Ukraine’s experience in safeguarding financial stability under extreme conditions. On EU enlargement, he argued Ukraine should become an EU member, citing potential benefits including added defence capabilities, an increase of 45 million people to the EU population and a boost to the single market, while acknowledging that transition would take time and that admitting a large country would raise questions about EU decision-making and the European budget.
De Nederlandsche Bank 2026-02-23
De Nederlandsche Bank’s Sleijpen details expanded contingency planning and argues for Ukraine’s EU membership
De Nederlandsche Bank published a speech by Olaf Sleijpen highlighting Europe's need to enhance resilience, economic growth, and stability, focusing on Ukraine's potential EU membership. Sleijpen emphasized DNB's contingency planning efforts and linked Europe's resilience agenda to challenges like climate risk and technological change. He advocated for Ukraine's EU membership, citing benefits such as increased defence capabilities and market expansion, while acknowledging the complexities of such enlargement.