The European Commission is preparing a more cautious path for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union. A draft document, part of the enlargement package, envisages that in 2027 Kyiv could provisionally conclude negotiations in seven policy areas. No specific date has been set for the country’s membership.
The document, cited by Politico, simultaneously calls on Ukraine to accelerate reforms and illustrates the scale of the work that remains. The requirements are being implemented amid an ongoing war, which makes changes to legislation and institutions more difficult.
Moldova Is Pulling Ahead in Terms of Pace
The most significant change is the divergence between Ukraine and Moldova. The two bids had long progressed in parallel, but according to the draft, Moldova could conclude negotiations in more than 20 areas in 2027. For Ukraine, the target is seven.
This creates the possibility that the two countries could be separated in the enlargement process, even though they submitted their applications during the same period and received candidate-country status together.
Ukraine submitted its membership application on February 28, 2022 - four days after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Kyiv and Chisinau were granted candidate-country status in June of the same year, while official membership negotiations began in June 2024.
Negotiations Cover Dozens of Areas
In October, Ukraine and Moldova began negotiations on the internal market, competitiveness and economic growth. These areas include the free movement of goods, workers and capital, company law, competition, financial services, taxation, social policy, education and the customs union.
In the text provided by Politico, the process is described as covering 35 policy areas. In the EU Council’s current overview, they are presented as 33 negotiating chapters grouped into six thematic clusters. Other topics include the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary, the fight against corruption, agriculture, food safety, energy and foreign policy.
The EU Council stresses that “accession to the EU is a merit-based process”. This means that the provisional conclusion of individual chapters depends on meeting specific criteria, not merely on political support for the European perspective.
The next step is for the European Commission to officially present the enlargement package and the roadmaps for Ukraine and Moldova. They must show in which areas measurable results can be expected in 2027 and which reforms remain a condition for progress.
Sources: politico.eu, consilium.europa.eu