Ukraine's Ambassador to the European Union, Taras Kachka, stated that Kyiv is actively working on accession negotiation clusters and does not rule out that some may be closed as early as next year. He announced this at the event "Beyond the Headlines. Assessing Ukraine’s Progress as an EU Candidate Country," as reported by RBC-Ukraine. According to the diplomat, in 2027, he estimates the parties will be "discussing closed chapters" of the negotiation process.
Drawing on the Experience of Slovakia and Lithuania
Kachka emphasized that Ukraine can look to the examples of states that have already successfully navigated the path to EU accession. He cited Slovakia and Lithuania as benchmarks, noting that the entire task of approving the necessary acquis communautaire—the EU's collective legal system—can be completed in 12–18 months. Thus, Kyiv aims to meet a timeline for legislative adaptation comparable to these countries.
Areas with High Levels of Readiness
The ambassador specifically noted that Ukraine already has proven successes in a number of areas. He cited food safety and energy as examples, stating that the level of readiness in these sectors is "very high" and that the capacity to make decisions based on European rules is "quite long-standing, established, and easily traceable." This, according to him, creates a foundation for closing the relevant clusters more quickly.
Timeline: From Opening Clusters to Concluding Negotiations
Previously, Kachka reported that Hungary had requested a few days to coordinate the opening of Ukraine's last two EU negotiation clusters, and Kyiv expects a positive resolution. Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Vsevolod Chentsov, in turn, stated that Ukraine would begin the preliminary closure of clusters in 2027. EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarína Mathernová noted that all six clusters within the accession negotiations would be opened by the end of this year. The entire negotiation process for Ukraine's accession to the EU is planned to be completed by the end of 2028.
Brussels Review: A More Cautious Roadmap
Nevertheless, the approach to timelines in Brussels appears more restrained. According to Politico, the European Commission is preparing an updated accession roadmap for Ukraine with "more cautious" and limited progress targets for 2027, and the document does not commit to a specific accession date. In the document, Brussels urges Kyiv to "urgently and significantly accelerate the pace of reforms in the area of the rule of law," and meeting key requirements in this area by the first half of 2027 is necessary for opening new negotiation clusters. This creates a noticeable gap between Kyiv's optimistic estimates and the more conservative planning logic of the EC.
Context: Diverging Paces with Moldova
The updated EC roadmap reportedly also notes a growing divergence in the pace of progress between Ukraine and Moldova. Against this backdrop, the European Parliament is preparing a resolution calling on the Council of the EU to open negotiation clusters for Moldova's accession without waiting for Ukraine. The combination of these factors means that despite Kyiv's statements about the possible closure of clusters in 2027, real timelines will largely depend on the pace of reforms and the consensus of positions within the EU.
