Paul Pasquali
RBI Group´s Executive Director for Government and Stakeholder Affairs
Ukraine’s EU Accession: Momentum Returns as Reconstruction Needs Grow
On 28 February 2022 (five days after Russia launched its war against Ukraine), Kyiv presented its membership application to join the European Union. Paul Pasquali, head of RBI’s Group Government & Stakeholder Affairs division, provides details on how the accession process works in general and which steps Ukraine has already taken on its path to join the EU.
Accession to the EU – a Complex Process
The general accession procedure is governed by Article 49 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU). It provides that any European state which respects the values laid down in the treaty’s article 2 may apply for EU membership. In practice, the process is guided by the Copenhagen criteria, which require a candidate country to meet political, economic and conditions related to the acquis (all legal and political obligations that are binding on all member states) before it can join the Union.
The Copenhagen Criteria and the Accession Procedure
The Copenhagen criteria define the core conditions for EU membership. A candidate country must meet the required political and economic standards and be able to assume the obligations of EU membership.
- Political criterion: stable institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and minority protection.
- Economic criterion: a functioning market economy able to cope with competitive pressure within the EU.
- Acquis criterion: the ability to take on EU membership obligations, including political, economic and monetary union
Beyond the candidate country’s own obligations, the EU itself must be capable of absorbing new members.
How the Accession Process Works
The accession process follows a structured sequence:
- The applicant state submits its application to the Council of the European Union.
- The European Commission assesses whether the country meets the Copenhagen criteria and issues a formal opinion.
- Based on this opinion, the European Council may unanimously grant candidate status.
- If the Member States agree, the Council adopts a negotiating mandate, allowing accession negotiations to begin.
- The candidate country aligns its national legislation with the EU acquis across 35 negotiating chapters.
- Each chapter must be opened, negotiated and unanimously closed by the Member States.
- Once all chapters are closed, an Accession Treaty is drafted, signed and ratified by the candidate country and all EU Member States. Only then can membership enter into force.
Ukraine’s EU Accession: from Application to Negotiations
A Fast-Tracked Political Signal
Ukraine’s path towards EU membership began under extraordinary circumstances. On 28 February 2022, Kyiv presented its application for membership. Already on 23 June 2022, EU leaders unanimously granted Ukraine official candidate status — an exceptionally swift decision driven by geopolitical urgency.
At the European Council meeting on 14 December 2023, EU leaders gave the green light to open accession negotiations. Following the Council’s approval of the negotiating frameworks, the first intergovernmental conference was held on 25 June 2024 in Luxembourg.
Accession negotiations are structured around 35 chapters, grouped into six thematic clusters. Before clusters can be formally opened, a bilateral screening process assesses the alignment of national law with the EU acquis. Ukraine completed the full screening process on 30 September 2025, ahead of schedule.
The six clusters are: Cluster 1 – Fundamentals, covering the rule of law, democracy and public administration; Cluster 2 – Internal Market; Cluster 3 – Competitiveness and Inclusive Growth; Cluster 4 – Green Agenda and Sustainable Connectivity; Cluster 5 – Resources, Agriculture and Cohesion; and Cluster 6 – External Relations.
The Opening of Cluster 1 “Fundamentals”
Following the formal opening of negotiations in June 2024, progress was effectively frozen by a veto from a member state. Despite the blockage, technical-level discussions between the EU and Ukraine continued throughout 2025 and early 2026, focused on monitoring reform progress, but without any formal political decisions.
On 3 June 2026, at a meeting of EU ambassadors held as part of COREPER (the Committee of Permanent Representatives of EU member states) in Brussels, the member state’s representative withdrew all objections. On 15 June 2026, the formal opening of Cluster 1 (“Fundamentals”) was scheduled.
Cluster 1 is central to the accession process. It covers democratic institutions, the rule of law, the judiciary, fundamental rights and public administration reform. As the first cluster to open and, given the depth of reforms required, the last to close, it will shape the overall pace and credibility of Ukraine’s accession negotiations.
What Comes Next
Full EU membership will still require several years of intensive work. Current dynamics suggest that Ukraine could realistically complete the bulk of negotiations by 2028 or 2029, with actual accession possible in the early 2030s – an exceptionally rapid pace compared with previous enlargement rounds.
Continuous Dialogue in Brussels
Representatives of the Ukrainian government and economy maintain an ongoing dialogue with Brussels to support the accession process. For example, on 22 and 23 April 2026, the EU-Ukraine Business Summit took place in Brussels. It brought together senior EU officials, Ukrainian ministers, financial institutions, and private sector leaders across panels covering defense, critical raw materials, economic recovery, energy, and SME support. Within this framework, Natalia Gurina, CEO of Raiffeisen Bank Ukraine, visited Brussels and held several bilateral meetings. The overall conclusion was clear: Ukraine already has a functioning financial architecture for recovery, supported by the EU, international financial institutions and the banking sector, along with strong investor interest. However, the key limitation is not access to capital, but the ability to transform ideas into structured, bankable projects.