President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants to prevent separate phases of the accession process from dragging on for years. His government is therefore working on a program for an accelerated procedure. Reforms in various areas would have to be carried out in parallel instead of always waiting until an earlier part is fully completed.
Deputy Prime Minister Vsevolod Chentsov believes that Ukraine can open all negotiation tracks this fall and complete the negotiations by the end of 2027. According to him, there are no technical obstacles left to opening the final chapters, and the preparatory work for this has been completed. He calls the timeline ambitious but realistic.
Reforms
However, accession is not yet a done deal. Several EU countries continue to emphasize that Ukraine must meet the set conditions. In particular, reforms of the rule of law and combating corruption are important. Not only new laws matter: Brussels also wants to see those rules actually enforced and institutions functioning independently.
Promotion
It is precisely here that Ukraine still has a significant backlog. Some €7.35 billion is now tied to reforms and investments linked to European financial support. Outstanding obligations relate, among other things, to the civil service, electricity market, anti-corruption efforts, and the appointment of public prosecutors.
Corruption
Corruption also remains an important obstacle. Within the EU, there is concern about accession as long as Ukraine makes insufficient progress in combating it. Kyiv not only has to adjust legislation to European standards but also demonstrate that those laws function in practice. The independence of institutions combating corruption plays an important role in this.
Agriculture
A second difficult dossier is agriculture. Upon accession, Ukraine would also have to adapt its legislation in this area to European rules. The size of the Ukrainian agricultural sector and the consequences for competition and European agricultural subsidies cause some EU countries to be cautious. Agriculture may therefore remain an important part of the negotiations.
Security issue
Meanwhile, Kyiv faces a huge legislative operation. According to Chentsov, 1,699 laws have to be approved and approximately 300 bills adopted. Ukraine says it has now fully mapped out the necessary work. At the same time, ways are being sought to deepen cooperation with the EU even before full membership.
Zelenskyy also presents accession as a security issue for Europe. This idea is also alive within the EU but does not remove the existing conditions. Chentsov therefore denies that Ukraine is asking for an easier route: according to him, the process can proceed faster because work is done simultaneously, while Ukraine continues to meet the required criteria.