Ukraine must accelerate reforms if it is to meet its self-imposed goal of completing the EU accession process by the end of 2028, according to a draft of the EU enlargement report seen by dpa and expected to be presented on Tuesday.
The draft notes that, despite "the very difficult circumstances" Ukraine is in due to the war with Russia, the country has shown "remarkable commitment to the EU accession process over the past year."
However, it notes, "recent negative trends, including a growing pressure on the specialised anti-corruption agencies and civil society, must be decisively reversed," it said.
The report also calls for Kiev to step up its "alignment with EU standards in the protection of fundamental rights, along with the continuation of public administration and decentralisation reforms."
"Continued progress is also required in reinforcing the independence, integrity, professionalism, and efficiency in the judiciary, prosecution and law enforcement sectors, as well as the fight against organized crime," it adds.
The European Commission supports Ukraine's ambitious timetable but warns that achieving it will require speeding up reforms, particularly in core areas such as the rule of law, according to the document.
On Tuesday, the commission will also assess other accession candidates, including Moldova, Montenegro, Albania, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Kosovo. Turkey and Georgia are also under review, though accession processes for both remain stalled due to democratic and rule-of-law deficits.
