EU Commissioner Kos and Ukraine's Government Discuss Reforms Needed to Meet Interim Benchmarks in First Half of 2027
European Commissioner Marta Kos discussed with Ukraine's government and parliament a list of reforms needed to meet interim benchmarks in EU accession talks. Ukraine aims to achieve them in the first half of 2027.
European Commissioner Marta Kos has held talks with Ukraine's government and parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, on the reforms Kyiv must carry out to satisfy interim benchmarks on its path to EU membership. The benchmarks cover democracy and the rule of law, and meeting them is needed for the accession negotiations to move forward.
Kos discussed the issues with Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi and Verkhovna Rada Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk. She reported the outcome on X, saying the sides had advanced on a concrete set of reform deliverables and a pathway toward Ukraine's ambition of securing the interim benchmarks in the first half of 2027.
What could come next
If Kyiv accelerates its reforms, the European Commission could present the Interim Benchmark Assessment Report (IBAR) on Ukraine's fulfilment of rule-of-law criteria to the Council of the EU in the first half of 2027.
Kos also said Ukraine could close seven negotiating chapters by the end of 2027, provided it delivers the necessary reforms.
Vsevolod Chentsov, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, believes the country could surprise the EU once again and close more negotiating chapters in 2027 than the European Commission has planned.
