--- title: "Ukraine's Ambassador to the EU: Accession Negotiation Clusters Could Close as Early as 2027" description: "Ukraine's Ambassador to the EU Taras Kachka stated that accession negotiation clusters could close as early as 2027, drawing on the experience of Slovakia and Lithuania. Meanwhile, Brussels is preparing a more cautious roadmap with limited targets." date: 2026-11-06T14:53:29.442Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/ukraine-eu-negotiation-clusters-2027 tags: [ukraine-eu-accession, eu-negotiations, taras-kachka, eu-enlargement, rule-of-law] author: "Alexander Buran" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Ukraine's Ambassador to the EU: Accession Negotiation Clusters Could Close as Early as 2027 ![Taras Kachka at a meeting on Ukraine's EU accession](https://xab.info/media/2026/11/06/ukraina-es-peregovornye-klastery-zakrytie-2027/ukraina-es-peregovornye-klastery-zakrytie-2027-1.webp) ## Key Points - Ambassador Taras Kachka stated that some negotiation clusters for EU accession could be closed as early as 2027. - Kyiv is looking to the experience of Slovakia and Lithuania, which completed the acquis communautaire work in 12–18 months. - Vice PM Vsevolod Chentsov announced that preliminary cluster closures would begin in 2027; negotiations are planned to finish by the end of 2028. - According to Politico, the EC is preparing a more cautious roadmap with limited targets for 2027 and a requirement to accelerate rule-of-law reforms. 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. ## Accounts differ ### Timeline for opening and closing negotiation clusters for Ukraine's EU accession - **Ukrainian Ambassador to the EU Taras Kachka and Ukrainian leadership:** All six clusters will be opened by the end of 2026, and cluster closures will begin in 2027; negotiations are planned to be completed by the end of 2028. ([rbc.ua](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/klasteri-vstupu-ukrayini-es-mozhut-buti-zakriti-1793976278.html)) - **European Commission (according to Politico):** The updated roadmap includes limited progress targets for 2027, and meeting key rule-of-law requirements in the first half of 2027 is necessary to open new negotiation clusters. ([news.mail.ru](https://news.mail.ru/politics/72968434/)) *Where they agree:* Both sides confirm that EU accession negotiations follow a cluster model and that progress depends on reforms, including those regarding the rule of law. ## Fact-Check & Sources - [Кластеры для вступления Украины в ЕС могут быть закрыты в 2027 году, - посол](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/klasteri-vstupu-ukrayini-es-mozhut-buti-zakriti-1793976278.html) - Source: statements by Taras Kachka at the Beyond the Headlines event, references to the experiences of Slovakia and Lithuania, estimates on closing clusters in 2027, statements by Chentsov and Mathernová, plans to conclude negotiations by the end of 2028. - [Европарламент призывает начать переговоры о вступлении Молдовы в ЕС, не дожидаясь Украины](https://censor.net/ru/news/3605535/moldove-mogut-otkryt-peregovory-o-vstuplenii-v-es-bez-ukrainy) - Подтверждено по источнику censor.net - [ЕК разработала осторожный план вступления Украины в Евросоюз](https://news.mail.ru/politics/72968434/) - Per Politico: The EC is preparing a more cautious roadmap with limited targets for 2027, a call to accelerate rule-of-law reforms, and an acknowledgment of diverging paces between Ukraine and Moldova. - [Зеленский назвал сроки нового этапа переговоров о вступлении Украины в ЕС](https://glavnoe.in.ua/ru/novosti/zelenskyj-nazval-sroky-novoho-etapa-perehovorov-o-vstuplenyy-ukrayny-v-es) - Timeline context: work on closing clusters and the transition to closing individual clusters next year. ## FAQ ### When does the Ukrainian ambassador say negotiation clusters could be closed? Taras Kachka stated that some clusters could be closed as early as 2027, and that by that year, parties would be discussing the closed chapters. ### Whose experience is Kyiv citing regarding EU accession? The experience of Slovakia and Lithuania, which, according to Kachka, completed the approval of the acquis communautaire in 12–18 months. ### What is the overall timeline for concluding accession negotiations? The negotiation process for Ukraine's EU accession is planned to conclude by the end of 2028; preliminary closure of clusters will begin in 2027, according to Vice PM Chentsov. ### What does Brussels say about the pace of accession? According to Politico, the EC is preparing a more cautious roadmap with limited targets for 2027 and is urging an acceleration of rule-of-law reforms.