EU Commission: "Ukraine Makes Reform Progress for EU Membership"

The European Union (EU) Commission acknowledged that Ukraine is making progress in reforms for EU membership but expects that more time will be needed for reforms in the five key areas required for membership.

According to major foreign media, Oliver V?rhelyi, the EU Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, stated during a presentation to the foreign ministers of the 27 member states in Stockholm, Sweden, on the 22nd (local time), that "Ukraine is on the right track" and praised the country for "working hard and achieving results despite being under invasion."

Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine
[Photo by Yonhap News]

He revealed that Ukraine has completed two of the seven steps for membership: judicial reform and the enactment of media legislation aligned with EU standards.

However, he explained that additional efforts are needed regarding constitutional court reform, measures to combat corruption and money laundering, limiting the influence of emerging oligarchs, and treatment of minorities. He added that the EU Commission will examine a broader range of factors in its adequacy report on Ukraine’s membership in October.

Jessica Roswall, Sweden’s EU Minister for European Affairs, described Ukraine’s reform efforts as "impressive considering the exceptional circumstances" and stated that "Ukraine has made fundamental progress."

Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, said that such evaluations are not surprising. She mentioned that necessary measures will be taken to ensure a positive opinion from the EU by October this year.

The EU Commission also reported that Moldova, which has obtained candidate status for EU membership like Ukraine, has completed three of the nine steps outlined by the EU for membership, while Georgia has completed three of twelve steps.

The EU had previously agreed to grant Ukraine candidate status for EU membership in June last year, just four months after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.

However, there are expectations that it could take years to decades for Ukraine to obtain full membership status. Countries seeking to join the EU must revise related laws?from climate change to labor standards?to meet EU standards, a process that takes several years.