The bloc’s top diplomat said that 2030 was a “realistic deadline” for bringing in new members. Ukraine must avoid backsliding on anti-corruption efforts to remain in the fast lane for EU membership, Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said Tuesday as she unveiled a report praising pro-EU reforms in Moldova, Albania and Montenegro.
“Amid the challenges caused by Russia’s war of aggression, Ukraine has demonstrated its commitment to its EU path,” Kos told European lawmakers ahead of unveiling the EU’s latest progress reports on candidate countries.
“It will be essential to sustain this momentum and prevent any risk of backsliding, in particular on anti-corruption.” Facing an international outcry, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reversed course on his controversial decision to assert political control over the anti-corruption agencies and restored the independence of two corruption-fighting bodies in July.
In a Facebook post, Zelenskyy emphasized what he described as Kyiv’s progress toward EU membership, skipping any mention of corruption.
“This is the best assessment to date — proof that even as we defend against Russia’s full-scale aggression, Ukraine continues to reform and transform according to European standards,” he wrote.
At a news conference in Brussels, top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas touted enlargement as a key tool for Europe to bolster its influence on the world stage. While lauding Kyiv’s efforts to conduct reforms during wartime, Kos urged leaders to pursue anti-corruption efforts following a furor in the summer over a law that would have kneecapped the independence of two key watchdogs.
“Through enlargement, Europe can grow its geopolitical power,” said the foreign policy chief, adding that 2030 was a “realistic deadline” for the EU to add new member countries. For Ukraine, membership in the European Union amounts to a “major security guarantee,” she said, noting that Kyiv has shown “remarkable commitment” to its membership in the bloc.
Standing next to Kallas, Kos praised Moldova as having made the “most progress” toward EU membership over the past year thanks to reforms carried out at an “accelerated speed … despite the continuous hybrid threats and attempts to destabilize the country.”
Of all the countries applying to join the EU, Brussels gave the highest praise to Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine and Moldova, noting that these countries aimed to finalize their accession negotiations by the end of 2026, the end of 2027, and in 2028 for the latter two, respectively.
But the EU officials also noted that the European Union has its own work to do to ensure it’s ready to accept new members.
Over the past year, Hungary’s refusal to approve Ukraine’s membership bid has prevented Kyiv from formally opening accession talks with Brussels, a blockage which has also stopped Moldova’s bid from moving forward due to the countries’ linkage.
The deadlock has led to proposals to allow Kyiv and Chișinău to advance. But so far these have been shot down by skeptical member countries.
