The European Union plans to change accession rules that have been in place for more than 40 years in order to accelerate Ukraine’s integration. RBC-Ukraine reports this, citing a statement by European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos during the YES Meeting conference organized by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation.
According to Kos, the current enlargement methodology was designed for times of peace, when candidate countries had sufficient time to implement reforms. She noted that there is no such time now, so a new approach is being prepared that would allow Ukraine and some other candidate countries to integrate earlier. However, this would require the consent of all 27 EU member states.
The European Commissioner emphasized that under the existing methodology it is impossible for Ukraine to become an EU member as of January 1, 2027. She stressed that changing the approach is a political decision that must be supported by all EU countries.
Kos also stated that the accession process consists of two major parts — technical and political. According to her, since 2024 Ukraine was expected to implement 68 key reforms and has already completed 63, indicating rapid progress. The other part of the process is political.