What will hinder Ukraine from successfully closing the main cluster of EU accession talks
In June 2024, Ukraine officially began negotiations on joining the EU. Since then, the screening process has been underway to assess Ukraine’s alignment with European legislation.
Ukraine has completed the screening for the first and most crucial negotiation cluster – Fundamentals. This cluster is opened first and closed last, making it decisive for progress in other negotiation areas.
But the report on the screening results for this cluster has not yet been published due to Hungary’s opposition.
Read more to understand the key challenges highlighted in the draft report that Ukraine will have to address in the column by Oleksandra Bulana, PhD in economics – Challenges at the state level: problems Ukraine will face in EU negotiations.
According to the author, Ukraine will face several systemic challenges in the sphere of public administration during the negotiation process.
"One of the most complex issues in this area is the state of democracy and human rights protection under martial law. Ukraine is in an unprecedented situation where EU accession talks are taking place alongside its fight for survival as a state," writes Oleksandra Bulana.
However, since democracy and human rights are fundamental values for the EU, the expert argues that Ukraine should reassess martial law restrictions, keeping only those that are critical for security, while restoring the normal functioning of state institutions wherever possible.
Bulana emphasises that public administration reform is essential for the success of Ukraine’s European integration efforts. The reform should ensure the effective implementation of already adopted legislation, which remains a challenge in nearly all areas covered by the Fundamentals cluster.
For instance, despite Ukraine’s anti-corruption infrastructure and progressive legislation, convictions of high-level corrupt officials remain scarce, and the number of asset confiscations and other penalties is still low.
She also notes that adequate funding for public administration is necessary, as the war has significantly increased the workload on government institutions.
Another key factor for successfully closing the Fundamentals is better coordination between government agencies.
"Ukraine urgently needs to improve government coordination in the field of European integration, creating an effective system for planning, implementation, monitoring, and reporting on its EU obligations," the author writes.
In her view, this requires strengthening the capacity of the Office for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration.
Additionally, poor coordination between law enforcement agencies and other state institutions hinders the fight against organised crime and the implementation of commitments under Chapter 24: Justice, Freedom, and Security.
Bulana also warns that limited data exchange between law enforcement databases leads to inaccuracies, incomplete information, or data duplication.
According to her, to successfully pass the Fundamentals cluster, Ukraine must reform public administration and improve governance practices, ensure effective cooperation between the government and society, enhance interagency coordination, particularly in law enforcement, seek support from European partners to overcome systemic challenges.
These steps will be crucial for Ukraine’s progress in its EU accession process.