EC: Ukraine aims to conclude EU accession talks by 2028

Ukraine has set an ambitious goal to provisionally close accession negotiations with the European Union by the end of 2028, the European Commission announced on November 4 in its annual Enlargement Package.

The Commission praised Kyiv’s determination to continue reforms despite Russia’s ongoing war, noting that Ukraine “remains strongly committed to its EU accession path,” Caliber.Az reports per the Commission's statement.

According to the report, Ukraine has completed the screening process and made progress in key areas, including the rule of law, public administration, democratic institutions, and minority rights.

“The Ukrainian government has signalled its objective to provisionally close accession negotiations by the end of 2028,” the Commission said in its statement. “The Commission is committed to support this ambitious objective but considers that, to meet it, an acceleration of the pace of reforms is required, notably with regards to the fundamentals, in particular rule of law.”

Brussels confirmed that Ukraine has met the conditions to open several negotiation clusters — one on fundamentals, six on external relations, and two on the internal market — and is expected to meet the requirements for the remaining three by year’s end. The Commission said it is working to ensure that the Council can advance the opening of all clusters before the close of 2025.

On Georgia, the Commission took a markedly different tone, warning that the country’s “continued backsliding” has left it a “candidate country in name only.” It urged Tbilisi to “demonstrate resolute commitment to reverse course and return to the EU accession path.”

Meanwhile, accession negotiations with Türkiye remain at a standstill, unchanged since 2018.

By Sabina Mammadli