EU Commission Places Ukraine Among Four Fastest-Advancing Candidate Countries
The European Commission’s 2026 Enlargement Package ranked Ukraine among the four candidate countries making the most progress toward EU membership. It linked potential progress in closing negotiating chapters in 2027 to judicial, anti-corruption and rule-of-law reforms, noting that Ukraine has not yet closed an individual chapter.
Key points
- The European Commission presented the Enlargement Package 2026 on November 4, assessing progress by 10 EU candidate countries.
- Ukraine was placed among Ukraine, Moldova, Montenegro and Albania as the candidates making the greatest progress in EU integration.
- Ukraine and Moldova have each opened four of six negotiating clusters, but Ukraine has not closed any chapter.
- The Commission said Ukraine could meet interim rule-of-law criteria in the first half of 2027.
- At least seven chapters could be provisionally closed in 2027 if reforms advance, interim criteria are met and EU member states agree.
- Ukraine aims to complete accession negotiations in 2027–2028 or earlier, but this remains a political objective rather than a fixed schedule.
Why it matters
The assessment recognizes substantial reform progress but does not mean Ukraine has completed the reforms required for EU membership. Progress on judicial independence, anti-corruption, fundamental rights, justice, security and rule of law is central to starting the closure of negotiating chapters. Ukraine and Moldova have each opened four of six clusters, while Ukraine has not yet closed any individual chapter. The possible closure of at least seven chapters in 2027 depends on reform implementation, an assessment of interim criteria and agreement by EU member states.
What happened
The European Commission presented its annual Enlargement Package 2026 on November 4, evaluating the progress of 10 candidate countries. Ukraine was included with Moldova, Montenegro and Albania among the four countries demonstrating the greatest progress in EU integration. The Commission praised Ukraine’s advances in public administration, economic competitiveness, digital transformation, financial services, customs, energy, agriculture, science and education, while also noting effective anti-corruption institutions that generally operate independently.
The Commission nevertheless called for faster judicial and anti-corruption reforms and full implementation of the rule-of-law roadmap. It expects improved readiness assessments across 10 negotiating chapters, particularly Chapter 23 on judicial power and fundamental rights and Chapter 24 on justice, freedom and security. Ukraine may meet the relevant interim criteria in the first half of 2027, creating the possibility of provisionally closing at least seven chapters that year. A chapter can only be closed after the Commission gives a positive assessment under the IBAR mechanism and EU member states agree.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian media emphasize Ukraine’s place among the enlargement leaders and its progress across economic, digital, institutional and sectoral reforms. They also highlight the possible 2027 milestone of closing at least seven chapters and Ukraine’s objective of completing negotiations in 2027–2028 or earlier. At the same time, the coverage foregrounds the outstanding judicial, anti-corruption and rule-of-law reforms and the need for EU member states to agree to close individual chapters.
Background
The EU officially began accession negotiations with Ukraine in 2024 and opened its first negotiating cluster, “Fundamentals,” in June 2026. In July, the EU agreed at technical level to open the sixth cluster for Ukraine and Moldova. Accession talks cover 35 chapters in total: 33 are grouped into six thematic clusters, while Chapters 34 and 35 are handled separately near the end of negotiations.