Moldova could complete negotiations on joining the European Union in early 2028. Ukraine has a chance to do so by the end of the same year, but to do so it will have to significantly accelerate reforms. These are the guidelines the European Commission has set in the roadmaps for the two countries.
A high-ranking EU diplomat familiar with the matter told a Babel correspondent in Brussels about this.
According to him, Moldova should maintain the current high pace of reforms. Next year, the European Commission expects the EU Council to approve the interim benchmarks (IBAR) in the area of the rule of law. After that, the country will be able to start preliminarily closing a significant number of negotiation chapters.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Cos called Moldova “the best student in its class” and now the best performer, during a presentation of the reports in Brussels. She stressed that the country is showing significant progress on its path to the EU, despite unprecedented external pressure.
At the same time, the European Commission expects further results from Chisinau in the fight against corruption — in particular, investigations, prosecutions and final court decisions in relevant cases. Among other priorities, Kos mentioned economic growth, job creation and strengthening energy security.
Ukraine, according to Kos, continues to advance towards EU membership in the extremely difficult conditions of a full-scale war with Russia. At the same time, the pace of reforms in the country has recently accelerated. The European Commission expects that by the end of the year Ukraine will be able to open all remaining negotiation clusters.
According to the European Commission, Ukraine can meet the interim benchmarks (IBAR) in fundamental areas in 2027. If this happens, the EU Council will be able to approve the relevant report, after which Kyiv will be able to begin the preliminary closure of negotiation chapters.
"However, the European Commission considers Kyivʼs own goal — to complete negotiations by the end of 2028 — to be ambitious. To do this, Ukraine needs to accelerate reforms in the areas of the judiciary, democratic institutions, public administration, and the rights of national minorities," the EU diplomat noted.
According to the European Commission, next year Moldova may preliminarily close up to 25 negotiation chapters, while Ukraine may preliminarily close seven.
The EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Mathernova believes that Kyiv will be able to meet the interim criteria for EU accession (IBAR), primarily in fundamental areas, as early as next spring. She stated this at a briefing for journalists in Kyiv on the eve of the presentation of the reports.
Maternova also recalled that in October this year, Ukraine and the EU created a joint working group (Task Force/FEAT) designed to help Kyiv accelerate reforms.
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