EU Urges Ukraine to Accelerate Reforms for Membership Goal

Ukraine faces pressure to accelerate its domestic reforms after the European Commission warned on November 4, 2026, that Kyiv must increase the pace of its preparations to achieve its goal of completing European Union accession negotiations by the end of 2028. The assessment highlights judicial independence, corruption prevention and minority rights as key priorities.

In its latest enlargement policy report, the European Commission acknowledged Ukraine's commitment to European integration despite the continuing war with Russia. However, the bloc's executive body said the current reform pace would not be sufficient to meet Kyiv's ambitious timetable.

"The Ukrainian government has signalled its objective to close accession negotiations by the end of 2028," the European Commission said in its report.

The Commission maintained its support for Ukraine's membership ambitions but emphasized that substantial progress would be necessary. Its assessment identified several areas requiring immediate attention.

"The Commission is committed to support this ambitious objective but considers that to meet it an acceleration of the pace of reforms is required," the European Commission added.

Among the main priorities are compliance with rule-of-law standards, implementation of an action plan concerning national minorities, judicial reform and measurable progress in combating corruption. These requirements remain central to Ukraine's efforts to align its institutions and legislation with EU standards.

The Commission also recognized the difficulties created by Russia's ongoing invasion while assessing Kyiv's progress toward European integration.

"Amid the difficult circumstances brought by Russia’s ongoing war of aggression, Ukraine remained committed to the EU integration reform agenda," the European Commission said.

The report also highlighted differences in the progress achieved by Ukraine and Moldova, which received EU candidate status together in June 2022. According to the Commission, Moldova is currently advancing faster in implementing the reforms required for membership.

"The government of Moldova has signalled its objective to provisionally close accession negotiations by early 2028. The Commission is committed to supporting this objective, which is ambitious but achievable, provided Moldova maintains the current pace of reforms," the European Commission said.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has outlined a more immediate timetable for completing individual negotiating stages. Ihor Zhovkva, Deputy Head of the Office of the President, said Kyiv expects to begin closing several negotiating chapters during the first half of 2027.

Zhovkva also indicated that Ukraine expects to complete most negotiating chapters before the end of 2027. The government is preparing for the Interim Benchmark Assessment Report (IBAR), an important stage in evaluating progress toward EU membership requirements.

"Four clusters are open today, and I'm absolutely sure we will have the rest two open by the end of the year. The work is ongoing in Ukraine on the preparation for IBAR. So we can start closing chapters – not a chapter, chapters – already in the first half of next year," Zhovkva said.

Ukraine and Moldova also intend to continue their European integration efforts in parallel. Earlier in the accession process, the Ukrainian government and European Commission established a task force to facilitate approval of draft legislation covering the rule of law and anti-corruption measures.

EU membership requires extensive negotiations, legal adjustments and approval from every existing member state. Ukraine and Moldova received candidate status in June 2022, marking the beginning of their formal accession paths.