Key facts
- Kos said the agreed deliverables target Cluster 1, known as Fundamentals, covering democracy, rule of law, judicial reform and anti-corruption.
- Koretskyi said part of the measures planned for November was already completed in the task force's first month.
- Stefanchuk said parliament was prepared to pass needed legislation on justice, rule of law and anti-corruption despite Russia's full-scale invasion.
- The Commission's November 4 report found Kyiv had made only limited progress on its rule-of-law reform roadmap.
- The Commission said most measures in a 10-point reform plan introduced in December 2025 remain unimplemented.
- The Commission estimated Ukraine could complete negotiations on seven of 33 accession chapters by the end of 2027 if reforms advance as expected.
Ukraine and the European Union agreed on a set of reform steps intended to meet EU accession benchmarks in the first half of 2027, EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said on November 15.
The agreement followed a meeting in Brussels of the joint EU-Ukraine task force, co-chaired by Kos and Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi, with Verkhovna Rada Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk also taking part. Kos said on X that the sides advanced on a concrete set of reform deliverables and a pathway to meet Ukraine's ambition of securing the interim benchmarks in the first half of 2027.
The benchmarks fall under Cluster 1, known as Fundamentals, which covers democracy, the rule of law, judicial reform and anti-corruption measures. Meeting them is a step toward advancing Ukraine's accession negotiations.
Koretskyi said the task force, established in October, brings together representatives of Ukraine's government, parliament, the President's Office, law enforcement agencies and independent judicial institutions. He wrote that part of the measures planned for November had already been completed in the first month and that the pace must continue.
Stefanchuk said responsibility for the reforms extends beyond the government to the entire Ukrainian state, and that parliament was prepared to pass the necessary legislation despite Russia's full-scale invasion, particularly on justice, the rule of law and fighting corruption.
The push follows the European Commission's November 4 annual enlargement report, which praised Ukraine's progress while citing persistent shortcomings in the rule of law and anti-corruption efforts. The Commission named Ukraine among the leading candidates alongside Moldova, Montenegro and Albania, but found Kyiv had made only limited progress on its rule-of-law reform roadmap. It also noted that most measures in a 10-point reform plan introduced in December 2025 remain unimplemented.
The Commission estimated Ukraine could complete negotiations on seven of the 33 accession chapters by the end of 2027 if reforms advance as expected. Ukraine hopes to secure a positive Interim Benchmark Assessment Report from the Commission in the first half of 2027. Officials at the meeting also discussed improvements to the Ukraine Plan, a reform program tied to EU financial assistance under the Ukraine Facility.