Albania New EU analysis critical of Ukraine's pace of reform
Ukraine must step up the pace of its reforms if it wants to achieve the goals it has set itself on the way to joining the European Union.
04.11.2025, 05:25
SDA
According to the German Press Agency, this is the conclusion of an analysis that EU Foreign Affairs Commissioner Kaja Kallas and Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos intend to present in Brussels this Tuesday.
The text states that Ukraine has shown remarkable commitment to the EU accession process over the past year despite its extremely difficult situation due to the Russian war of aggression. However, recent negative developments must be decisively reversed - such as the increasing pressure on anti-corruption authorities and civil society.
In addition, the authors of the report call for the alignment with EU standards in the protection of fundamental rights as well as administrative and decentralization reforms. Progress is still needed to strengthen the independence, integrity, professionalism and efficiency of the judiciary, public prosecutors and law enforcement and to combat organized crime more intensively.
Ambitious goals
The Ukrainian government has set itself the goal of concluding EU accession negotiations by the end of 2028. However, the analysis of the necessary reform progress now clearly warns of the risk of raising expectations too high. The Commission supports the ambitious goal, but points out that this requires an acceleration in the pace of reform, it says. This applies in particular to fundamental areas such as the rule of law.
In addition to Ukraine, the small neighboring country of Moldova and the Western Balkan states of Montenegro, Albania, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Kosovo will also be assessed by the EU Commission this Tuesday as candidates for EU accession. There are also analyses of Turkey and Georgia, but in both cases the accession process is on hold due to democratic and constitutional deficits.
According to the new analysis, Montenegro is furthest along in the EU accession process. The country is considered to be able to conclude the accession negotiations by the end of 2026 if it maintains the pace of reform. For Albania, the conclusion of accession negotiations by the end of 2027 is considered possible.
However, this does not mean that the countries will actually be able to join. The prerequisite for this is that all EU states agree to the accession treaties negotiated by the EU Commission and then ratify them. In France, for example, a referendum could be organized before ratification.
Georgia only a candidate country on paper
Once again this year, Georgia and Turkey are to be given a very poor report card. In the case of Georgia, it is said that the country is only a candidate country on paper in view of the current government's course. Examples cited include the adoption of repressive laws, the political instrumentalization of the judiciary, the persecution of opposition leaders and the arbitrary arrests of demonstrators and journalists. In Turkey, further setbacks in the areas of fundamental rights and the rule of law were also noted.
