EU plans pre-entry perks for Ukraine after denying fast-track accession - Politico

The offer may include greater market access and deeper participation in EU programs and institutions. The proposals came together after a tense dinner in March during which EU capitals rejected plans to fast-track Ukraine’s accession before completing major reforms.

“From the moment of the dinner … member states have been clear it will be very difficult to see membership in the short term,” one of the diplomats said.

“But we need to have a positive offer for how we can better move forward together before then.”

The EU is seeking ways to include Ukraine in parts of the bloc’s markets, funding schemes, and political institutions before accession – a model the diplomat described as “accelerated gradual integration.”

Germany and France, both strong backers of Ukraine, are among the countries involved in formulating the offer, but are wary of a rushed accession process. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said last week that immediate EU membership for Ukraine is not possible, but suggested Kyiv could be offered participation in European Councils without voting rights, as well as taking part in select formats with other institutions like the European Parliament.

Another option proposed by Lithuania is to grant Kyiv a form of “acceding state” status to show that it is firmly on track for EU accession. The designation has historically applied to countries that have signed an accession treaty and are waiting for it to be ratified.

“Ukraine’s priority remains full EU membership,” Ukraine’s ambassador to the EU, Vsevolod Chentsov, told Politico. “But we also expect early, tangible steps that bring integration into effect now.”

He said Ukraine wants phased access to the EU Single Market, deeper participation in EU programs and institutions, and swift progress on agreements like ACAA to facilitate trade.

An Agreement on Conformity Assessment and Acceptance of Industrial Products (ACAA) will allow the EU and Ukraine to recognize each other’s manufacturing standards, making it easier for industrial goods to move across the border without additional checks, Politico reported.

Ukraine is also asking for its businesses to be included in the Commission’s strategic industrial dialogues on sectors such as vehicle manufacturing, steel, and chemicals, Chentsov noted, “to better align our industries with EU value chains.”

These steps, he added, will bring “immediate economic benefits” and strengthen investor confidence, while making Ukraine’s path toward the EU beneficial for both sides.

The timeline for actually joining the EU remains long — with no country having joined since Croatia in 2013. Brussels is working to expedite this timeline, but warned that hopes for accession in 2027 are “impossible”.

A senior European Council official said Ukraine can only close negotiating chapters by the end of 2027 if it maintains its current pace of reforms. Any accession agreement would need unanimous political support from all 27 EU countries and force the bloc to confront unresolved disputes.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier said that Ukraine hopes to join the European Union in 2027. At the same time, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that Ukraine's accession to the EU on Jan. 1 of next year is unrealistic.

Radosław Sikorski, Poland’s Foreign Minister, said he opposes fast-tracking Ukraine’s entry into the European Union.

On March 17, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced that the Ukrainian delegation in Brussels had received the European Union’s conditions for accession covering the final three negotiation clusters.