In early 2026, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky set a target date for the country's accession to the EU in January 2027.
On October 2nd, in an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera ahead of the planned enlargement policy review next week, EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos stated that EU membership depends more on reforms than on political deadlines.
"Ascension to the throne based on merit: Clearly, that's not feasible at this time," said Kos, noting that the January date was solely set by Zelensky.
She acknowledged that Ukraine views EU membership as a security guarantee and believes that helping Ukraine is the bloc's "obligation."
However, she stressed that candidates need to meet stringent requirements regarding the rule of law, economic integration, and the application of EU law, and that "there are no privileges or special treatment in the accession process," nor "no shortcuts."
Instead, EU officials advocated for a phased integration process before full membership, and expressed hope that Ukraine could make further progress in accession negotiations later this year.
Previously, President Zelensky had rejected alternatives to full EU membership.
In May, he called German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's proposal for associate membership "unfair," arguing that Ukraine could not join the bloc without voting rights.
Ukraine received candidate status in 2022, but accession requires unanimous support from all 27 member states.
Several EU members have consistently opposed Ukraine's accession to the bloc, including Hungary, which has repeatedly opposed accelerating the accession process.
Recently, Hungary blocked the inclusion of any provisions for accelerating progress on Ukraine in the conclusions of the EU summit.
Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar suggested that Ukraine's accession process could take 10 to 15 years, and linked this process to how Ukraine treats the Hungarian minority community.
Corruption remains a significant obstacle to Ukraine's efforts to join the EU.
In August, the Financial Times quoted a senior EU diplomat warning that admitting such a large and corrupt country would turn "the whole project into a farce."
Ukraine ranks 104th out of 182 countries in Transparency International's latest Corruption Perception Index.
Russia said it was not opposed to Ukraine joining the EU, but criticized the bloc's development into an "aggressive military-political alliance" and "a dependency of NATO".
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also argued that Ukraine's accession could weaken the EU and destabilize the bloc.
Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/eu-lanh-lung-bac-bo-yeu-cau-gia-nhap-khoi-vao-nam-2027-cua-ong-zelensky-post794802.html
