Ukraine aims to complete EU membership by 2028: Details
Illustrative photo: European Commission spokesperson Guillaume Mercier (video screenshot)
European Commission spokesperson Guillaume Mercier, in a comment to RBC-Ukraine, stated that Ukraine’s EU accession timeline depends on reforms, while the Ukrainian government has declared its intention to complete membership negotiations by the end of 2028.
“Despite Russia’s relentless aggressive war, Ukraine remains firmly committed to its path toward EU membership, successfully completing screening and advancing key reforms,” Mercier said.
According to him, Ukraine has adopted roadmaps on the rule of law, public administration, and the functioning of democratic institutions, as well as an action plan for national minorities, which the Commission evaluated positively.
“Ukraine has met the conditions necessary to open three clusters — ‘fundamental issues,’ ‘external relations,’ and ‘internal market,’” added the European Commission spokesperson.
He also stressed that the European Commission expects Ukraine to meet the conditions for opening the remaining three clusters and is working to ensure that the Council can move forward with opening all clusters by the end of the year.
“The Ukrainian government has declared its intention to complete membership negotiations by the end of 2028. The Commission is committed to supporting this ambitious goal but believes that accelerating reforms is necessary, particularly in fundamental issues, above all, the rule of law,” Mercier added.
The Commission representative also noted that there are no pre-determined deadlines. The accession process depends on implementing reforms and demonstrating sustainable results.
“Accession is a merit-based process. Each candidate joins when it is ready, when it meets the conditions and criteria set out in EU treaties, including the Copenhagen criteria,” Mercier concluded.
Ukraine’s steps toward the EU
Earlier, EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Koss stated that the European Commission was working to open negotiation clusters on Ukraine’s and Moldova’s EU membership by the end of November.
However, the European Union still cannot officially start negotiations with Ukraine due to Hungary’s veto, which remains a key obstacle.
In early November, the European Commission presented a report within the EU Enlargement Package, noting significant progress by Ukraine in implementing the necessary reforms.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sharply criticized Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for blocking Ukraine’s path to eurointegration, linking Orbán's position to political motives. According to Zelenskyy, Orban’s electorate opposes most EU decisions, which influences the Hungarian government’s actions.
