No country is delivering more on reforms than Ukraine right now, says EU enlargement chief

The EU's Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos praised Ukraine's reform work during an Oct. 5 press conference on EU-Moldova relations, stressing that Kyiv is delivering despite difficult wartime circumstances.

The comments come only a day before the EU is expected to unveil proposals for the future of EU enlargement, including work on membership roadmaps for Ukraine, Moldova, Albania, and Montenegro — the four most promising candidates.

Kos was asked by a Ukrainian journalist to give her view on how Ukraine's reform rate compares with Moldova, broadly seen as the fastest reformer among the candidates.

"Both countries are delivering under very difficult circumstances," Kos said.

"And both countries are in the frontrunner group of four," she added.

Ukraine's parliament has faced scrutiny over delays in passing reforms needed for EU membership and to secure foreign aid.

But Kos went on to highlight that Ukraine's circumstances place it in a different category altogether.

"We should never forget the country is fighting for its survival. The country is in the accession process. And the country has to deliver reforms to get additional money for the budget and the military," Kos explained.

"There is no other country in the world who is delivering more than Ukraine at this moment," Kos said.

In September, Kos co-signed a letter to the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, identifying the reforms it has to complete by the end of the year in order to unlock over 20 billion euros ($23 billion) of financial support, even providing a concrete list of laws to be enacted and their current state of play.

One key law that the parliament needs to pass, concerning the rights of Ukraine's Hungarian-speaking minority, is expected to be put to a vote on Oct. 12. Budapest has blocked the opening of additional clusters for Ukraine until the bill is adopted.

"We hope that the law will pass the (Verkhovna) Rada," Kos said.

"Once this will happen... it is possible that we would open the next two clusters for Moldova and Ukraine next week," she added.

Ukraine and Moldova have had their membership bids linked and have so far unlocked two of the six to-do lists of reforms, known as enlargement clusters.

The first two clusters opened in June and July, respectively. If the law on minorities passes on Oct. 12, Kyiv and Chisinau are expected to be able to open clusters two and three on economic topics.

That would leave only clusters four and five, which address sectoral issues, and where fears over the size and competitiveness of parts of Ukraine's economy, notably the agricultural and transport sectors, risk holding up progress.