EU prepares cautious path for Ukraine accession talks, media report

In brief

• The European Commission is preparing a more cautious accession roadmap for Ukraine.
• The plan sets limited 2027 goals and no date for membership.
• Seven policy areas could be provisionally closed next year if rule-of-law benchmarks are met.
• The document notes Moldova is progressing faster than Ukraine.

Commission proposes a narrower roadmap

According to Politico, the European Commission is drafting a more cautious roadmap for Ukraine's accession negotiations. The document sets limited goals for 2027 and does not commit the bloc to any date for membership. (Єврокомісія визначає для України "більш обережний" шлях вступу до ЄС – Politico – Українська правда)

Rule of law at the centre of the conditions

Brussels is calling on Kyiv to accelerate reforms in the rule of law immediately and substantially. Under the roadmap, meeting key requirements in this area during the first half of 2027 would be a precondition for provisionally closing negotiations in individual policy fields.

Seven chapters could close next year

The document, part of the Commission's enlargement package due to be presented on Wednesday, identifies seven policy areas in which Ukraine could provisionally close negotiations next year. It also underlines how far Ukraine still has to go before joining the bloc and how difficult it is to carry out reforms during the war. (ЄС готує "обережніший шлях" вступу для України, - Politico – UNIAN)

Diverging paths with Moldova

The document also highlights a growing gap between Ukraine and Moldova, whose accession processes ran in parallel for a long time. Moldova is now seen as able to make considerably faster progress.

Why it matters

The approach reflects a long-standing EU aim of anchoring Ukraine in European institutions as part of wider efforts to secure its future after the war with Russia. Membership is viewed as a way to make new Russian aggression harder.