EU Membership: What Awaits Ukraine in 2025? - Natalia Koshel

In June 2024, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirmed that Ukraine has met all the necessary conditions to begin negotiations for EU membership. Despite the ongoing war and international turbulence, 2025 could be a pivotal year for Ukraine's Euro-integration process. The country continues its journey towards EU membership by focusing on reforms and strategic planning. This year's main objective is to open new negotiation clusters and achieve progress in six key areas essential for EU accession.

Negotiations with the EU: Steps Forward

The process of Ukraine's EU accession is governed by a methodology updated in February 2020, which divides the negotiation areas into six clusters encompassing 35 negotiation chapters.

The European Commission hopes to open three clusters — 1 ("Fundamentals"), 2 ("Internal Market"), and 6 ("International Relations") — by the end of the Polish presidency in June.

Opening these clusters will mark a significant step in Ukraine's EU accession process and will confirm the country's readiness to meet European standards.

In the second half of the year, when the presidency shifts to Denmark, the remaining three clusters are expected to be opened: "Competitiveness and Inclusive Development," "Green Agenda," and "Resources, Agriculture, and Cohesion Policy."

Roadmaps and Reforms

One of the key elements of the negotiation process is the development and implementation of roadmaps. Among these, the following are central:

• A roadmap for the rule of law, structured into four key blocks: judiciary, anti-corruption, fundamental rights and justice, freedom and security.
• A roadmap for the reform of Ukraine's public administration, outlining key reform directions in this area to build a robust public service for the future EU member state.

These roadmaps are crucial for opening negotiation clusters. They have been prepared with the involvement of civil society and international partners and include a detailed reform plan for the coming years.

In particular, in 2024, a Coalition of civil organizations led by the Laboratory of Legislative Initiatives prepared a Shadow Report for Chapter 23 "Justice and Fundamental Rights" of the European Commission's report on Ukraine for 2023, which contains an analysis of the progress made by Ukraine in each area from June 2023 to August 2024. In total, experts provided 350 recommendations, about a hundred of which, prepared by the ZMINA Human Rights Center, focus on human rights protection. These recommendations were submitted to the Ministry of Justice for the formation of a thematic roadmap.

European Commission Assessment and Next Steps

The process of Ukraine's EU accession involves a screening phase — a detailed analysis of the compliance of Ukrainian legislation with EU norms.

In 2025, the European Commission will present screening reports, based on which Ukraine's next negotiation positions will be formed. Successful implementation of the recommendations will be crucial for advancing the negotiation process.

Ukraine aims to demonstrate progress in the areas of judicial reform, anti-corruption, human rights protection, and justice, freedom, and security. These achievements will not only bring the country closer to EU membership but also strengthen its democratic institutions and international trust.