Ukraine, EU agree on reform steps to advance accession talks in 2027

Ukraine and the European Union have agreed on steps to accelerate key reforms needed for EU membership, aiming to meet crucial benchmarks on democracy and the rule of law in the first half of 2027, EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos announced on Nov. 15.

The agreement followed a meeting of the joint EU-Ukraine task force in Brussels, co-chaired by Kos and Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi, with Verkhovna Rada Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk also participating.

"We advanced on a concrete set of reform deliverables and a pathway to meet the ambition of Ukraine to secure the interim benchmarks in the first half of 2027," Kos said on X.

The benchmarks fall under Cluster 1, known as "Fundamentals," which covers issues including democracy, the rule of law, judicial reform, and anti-corruption measures. Meeting these requirements is a crucial step toward advancing Ukraine's EU accession negotiations.

Koretskyi said the task force, established in October, brings together representatives of Ukraine's government, parliament, President's Office, law enforcement agencies, and independent judicial institutions.

"In the first month, part of the measures planned for November has already been completed. We must keep up this pace and move faster on the next steps," Koretskyi wrote.

Stefanchuk stressed that the responsibility for implementing the reforms extends beyond the government to the entire Ukrainian state.

"European integration is not a task for the government or any single political force alone. It is a shared responsibility of the entire Ukrainian state," Stefanchuk said.

He added that parliament was prepared to pass the necessary legislation despite Russia's ongoing full-scale invasion, particularly in the areas of justice, the rule of law, and fighting corruption.

The renewed push for reforms comes after the European Commission's Nov. 4 annual enlargement report praised Ukraine's progress toward EU membership while highlighting persistent shortcomings in the rule of law and anti-corruption efforts.

The Commission named Ukraine among the leading candidates for EU membership, alongside Moldova, Montenegro, and Albania, but found that Kyiv had made only "limited progress" on its rule-of-law reform roadmap.

The report also noted that most measures outlined in a 10-point reform plan introduced in December 2025 remain unimplemented.

Despite these shortcomings, the Commission estimated that Ukraine could complete negotiations on seven of the 33 accession chapters by the end of 2027, provided reforms advance as expected.

The joint EU-Ukraine task force was established in October to accelerate Ukraine's progress on interim benchmarks and advance anti-corruption and rule-of-law reforms.

Ukraine hopes to secure a positive Interim Benchmark Assessment Report (IBAR) from the European Commission in the first half of 2027, potentially paving the way for further progress in accession negotiations.

During the meeting, officials also discussed improvements to the Ukraine Plan, a reform program linked to EU financial assistance under the Ukraine Facility.