Ukraine will not join the EU on January 1, 2027 - European commissioner explains what is standing in the way
Kyiv • UNN
Marta Kos said that Ukraine joining the EU on January 1, 2027, is unrealistic. The European Commission expects new clusters to be opened by the end of 2026.
European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos stated that Ukraine's accession to the European Union on January 1, 2027, is unrealistic, as the accession process depends on meeting the established criteria. UNN reports this with reference to Corriere della Sera.
At the same time, the European Commission expects Ukraine to make further progress in membership negotiations by the end of this year.
Details
According to Kos, Ukraine will not be granted any exceptions or eased requirements in meeting the conditions for EU accession, despite the EU's extensive political and financial support.
"The accession process is based on meeting the criteria, so the date of January 1, 2027, which has been mentioned in public discussions about possible timelines for Ukraine's membership, is currently unrealistic," the European Commissioner emphasized.
At the same time, Kos noted that the EU must continue helping Ukraine, which is at war, and promote its further integration. She also expressed hope that Ukraine would be able to open as many negotiation clusters as possible by the end of 2026.
Speaking about the pace of EU enlargement, Kos noted that among the candidate countries, Montenegro and Albania had made the most progress, followed by Moldova and Ukraine.
This is not an official ranking of the candidate countries, but merely an assessment of the current stage of the negotiation process.
Context
Ukraine received candidate status for accession to the European Union in June 2022, while official membership negotiations began in June 2024.
In September 2025, Ukraine completed the screening of the conformity of its national legislation with EU law. In 2026, Ukraine and the European Union officially opened the "Fundamentals" negotiation cluster, as well as the "External Relations" cluster. At the same time, the European Commission had previously stated that all six of Ukraine's negotiation clusters were technically ready to be opened.
The Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly named 2027 as a target for the country's readiness for EU membership. At the same time, the specific accession date will depend not only on Ukraine's implementation of the necessary reforms, but also on the political decisions of all EU member states.
Reminder
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama stated that, in his opinion, Ukraine would not be able to become a member of the European Union under the current standard accession procedure, despite the promises being made to it. Instead, he called on the EU to find another path toward Ukraine's full membership.