On June 15, EU member states are set to vote on opening the first negotiating cluster at an intergovernmental conference in Luxembourg — and Ukraine’s EU integration process is poised to accelerate significantly in the near term.
EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos stated that the remaining five clusters could also be opened by mid-July. “The absolute priority right now is to open all the clusters,” Kos said.
She also acknowledged that EU member states have rejected the previous complex and lengthy approach to EU integration — the so-called “reverse enlargement” — in favor of an intermediate model under which candidate countries, including Ukraine, will be able to enjoy the benefits of membership before formally joining.
The driver of this shift, according to Kos, has been Ukraine itself, alongside the willingness of key EU member states to support its accession. This was also the essence of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s proposal for a special format for Ukraine — an approach that could ultimately extend to other candidate countries as well.
“Today’s statements by the Commissioner indicate that our path to the EU now depends on us more than ever before. There can be no excuses for failing to adopt EU integration laws or carry out reforms. The list of requirements and necessary steps will be quite clear. The EU is opening the road to membership — our task is to give sceptics no grounds for future objections and to implement the necessary changes consistently,” said TI Ukraine Executive Director Andrii Borovyk.
On June 15 EU member states are to vote on opening the first negotiating cluster, “Fundamentals,” which covers, among other things, the rule of law and anti-corruption. TI Ukraine has been tracking Ukraine’s progress in these areas for three years and providing recommendations for their improvement through its Shadow Reports for the European Commission.
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Today's statements by the Commissioner indicate that our path to the EU now depends on us more than ever before. There can be no excuses for failing to adopt EU integration laws or carry out reforms.
Andrii Borovyk
