The EU is not yet ready to accept Ukraine as a member under the accelerated procedure. The main obstacle to full membership remains the high level of corruption. This is reported by Financial Times.
According to the publication, the European Union admits that without a full-scale Russian invasion, Ukraine would not have received official candidate status at all.
Concerns about the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law remain high.
"You can't admit a country with a population of 40 million that ranks 104th on the global corruption list into the EU. That would make a mockery of the entire project," — The publication quotes a senior EU diplomat.
At the same time, Brussels understands that it is impossible to leave Kyiv to its fate, and the tentative goal of accession by 2027 was more of a "cry for help" from the Ukrainian authorities than a real deadline.
EU enlargement as a security factor
Since the outbreak of the major war in Ukraine, the EU's enlargement policy has shifted from economic to security. The bloc's members are keen to see strong and battle-hardened Ukrainian armed forces on their team.
However, it is not only the situation in Ukraine that is holding back enlargement. The European Union itself has proven internally unprepared to accept new members.
To address this issue, France and Germany are proposing a “step-by-step integration” model, which involves gradual access to the single market and EU programs as reforms are implemented, rather than immediate full membership.
The EU enlargement process has remained virtually frozen for the past decade since Croatia joined in 2013. The impetus for the resumption of negotiations was Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
In addition to Ukraine and Moldova, the Western Balkan countries, including Montenegro and Albania, are in the queue for accession.
Currently, Montenegro has advanced the furthest in fulfilling Brussels' requirements and is aiming to complete technical negotiations in the near future.
