Unfinished reforms and stalled laws in parliament hold back Ukraine's path to the EU
In autumn 2026 Ukraine is close to several formal steps toward EU membership, but reform laws are stuck in the Verkhovna Rada, tied also to EU funding. If the Ukraine Facility laws do not take effect by June 2027, the money will be lost.
Ukraine's path to European Union membership in autumn 2026 is being slowed not only by diplomatic hurdles but also by reforms left unfulfilled at home, according to the outlet Ukrainska Pravda, citing sources in the ruling Servant of the People party and in diplomatic circles. Both the progress of accession talks and Western financial support depend on these reforms.
Negotiating clusters and ties with Hungary
Some of the accession negotiation clusters have already been opened, and diplomats say others should open in the near future. Kyiv has reached an understanding with Hungary, now led by Prime Minister Péter Magyar; in previous years Hungary blocked Ukraine–EU talks. Relations with Poland, meanwhile, have become strained, though people in the ruling party expect the issue to be resolved.
Once the clusters are opened, a harder phase begins: closing chapters and clusters will depend solely on Ukraine's ability to meet its commitments.
Conditions and the "Kachka–Kos plan"
The EU has aligned a significant share of its requirements with the International Monetary Fund, so the same reforms are conditions both for financing programmes and for accession talks. The informal main test is the 10-point "Kachka–Kos plan", which calls for changing how heads of law enforcement bodies are appointed and strengthening the independence of anti-corruption agencies. President Volodymyr Zelensky's team sees no way to introduce a prosecutor general selection procedure in which international experts play a decisive role, citing the constitution. On other points, such as giving NABU (the National Anti-Corruption Bureau) the right to independent expertise, there is little room for manoeuvre.
According to the source, the European Commission's latest report on candidate countries had Ukraine trailing even Moldova.
The Ukraine Facility threat
Under the EU's Ukraine Facility programme, which provides money in exchange for agreed reforms, many decisions are stuck in the Rada. No funds have been lost so far, and payments have only been postponed, but payment requests can be submitted only until the second quarter of 2027. If the laws do not take effect by June, the money will be lost.
