EU revises Ukraine’s accession plan: negotiations may be completed in only seven areas in 2027

The European Commission is preparing a more cautious plan for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union, which envisages the completion of negotiations in seven areas in 2027. At the same time, Brussels requires Kyiv to accelerate reforms in the field of the rule of law and has not yet determined a specific date for membership.

This was reported by Politico, which obtained the European Commission document.

According to the document, the EU expects Ukraine to significantly accelerate reforms, primarily in the field of the rule of law. Fulfilling the relevant requirements in the first half of 2027 is considered a necessary condition for the preliminary completion of negotiations in individual areas.

Which negotiation areas Ukraine can complete in 2027

The European Commission has identified seven areas in which Ukraine could potentially complete negotiations within the next year.

Negotiations in the field of education and culture are planned to be completed in the first half of 2027.

In the second half of the year, the following areas are discussed:

Intellectual property.

Employment and social policy.

Industrial policy.

Research.

External relations.

Foreign policy and security.

At the same time, the implementation of this plan will depend on Ukraine implementing the necessary reforms and agreeing on relevant decisions at the European Union level.

Ukraine and Moldova may move towards the EU at different rates

The European Commission document also notes that the rates of European integration of Ukraine and Moldova may differ significantly.

According to preliminary estimates, Moldova could potentially complete negotiations in more than 20 areas in 2027, while Ukraine could only complete seven.

This could lead to a de facto separation of the negotiation processes of the two states, which previously advanced towards EU membership in parallel.

At the same time, Brussels recognizes that a full-scale war creates an additional burden on Ukrainian state authorities and complicates the implementation of the necessary legislative and structural changes.

The European Commission calls for the opening of two more negotiation clusters

Separately, the European Commission calls for the opening of negotiations on two blocks that remain blocked by the end of 2026.

This is the fourth cluster, which covers the green agenda, transport policy and infrastructure, as well as the fifth cluster, which concerns resources, agriculture and cohesion policy.

The European Commission believes that Ukraine has already fulfilled the necessary conditions for the opening of these negotiation blocks.

It was previously reported that Hungary blocked the relevant decisions, despite Ukraine’s progress in fulfilling European integration requirements.

Has a date been set for Ukraine’s accession to the EU?

At present, the European Commission does not set a specific deadline for the completion of negotiations or for Ukraine to become a full member of the European Union.

The proposed roadmap may change depending on the pace of reforms and the fulfillment of certain conditions.

At the same time, even the successful completion of negotiations in all areas will not mean automatic accession to the EU.

To become a member, Ukraine must undergo further legal and political procedures, including the approval of the accession treaty and its ratification in accordance with the legislation of the EU member states.

As a reminder, on October 13, 2026, the EU opened negotiations with Ukraine on the clusters “Internal Market” and “Competitiveness and Inclusive Growth”.

As of early November, according to the Ukrainian side, four negotiation clusters have been opened. Ukraine expects to start negotiations on the remaining blocks by the end of 2026.