Over 50% of Ukrainians believe further reforms needed for EU membership

More than half of Ukrainians think that Ukraine requires additional reforms to join the European Union.

According to the survey by the Rating Sociological Group, titled Success or not? How Ukrainians assess law enforcement reforms and the EU's support, nearly 20% of respondents feel Ukraine is fully ready for EU membership, while 57% believe further reforms are necessary. 

Meanwhile, 22% say Ukraine is not ready for EU membership at all.

According to the survey, the share of those who see the need for further reforms has risen by 14% over the past year, with residents of Kyiv and western Ukraine more likely to share this view.

The survey was conducted from 24 to 29 September 2024, commissioned by the EU Advisory Mission to Ukraine, using computer-assisted telephone interviews. The sample included 2,000 respondents, with a margin of error of 2.2%.

The same survey shows that 70% of Ukrainians view EU support for fighting corruption in Ukraine as ineffective, yet most respondents still consider this area of EU assistance to be the most relevant.

Recently, Olha Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and Minister of Justice, shared that she expects two clusters in the EU accession negotiations to open in the first half of 2025.

Katarína Mathernová, Ukraine’s Ambassador to the EU, believes that Ukraine has a chance to initiate EU accession talks on several clusters in 2025, though the pace will become clearer over time. Maternova also reiterated her view that it is realistic for Ukraine to join the EU by 2030.