Ukraine has received the full set of conditions required for its accession to the European Union for the first time, Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said on Tuesday, March 17.
In a Telegram post Svyrydenko said that Ukraine’s delegation in Brussels received benchmarks for the final three negotiation clusters from the EU.
These include Cluster 3 “Competitiveness and Inclusive Growth,” Cluster 4 “Green Agenda and Sustainable Connectivity,” and Cluster 5 “Resources, Agriculture and Cohesion Policy.”
With the latest development, Ukraine now has a complete set of accession benchmarks required to move forward in the EU membership process, according to the prime minister.
Svyrydenko said Ukraine had previously received benchmarks for three other clusters in December, including “Fundamentals,” “Internal Market,” and “External Relations.”
Next steps in accession process
Svyrydenko said the government will continue implementing reforms required for EU accession and will report progress to Brussels.
The government has also submitted the newly received benchmarks to parliament for further work, she said.
Ukraine officially launched EU accession talks in 2024 and is working to align its legislation and institutions with EU standards.
President Volodymyr Zelensky recently pushed for 2027 as a target for EU accession amid deteriorating peace talks, with NATO membership effectively blocked by US and Russian opposition, despite the alliance’s earlier promises of an “irreversible path.”
Politico, citing unnamed EU officials, said many states have discreetly opposed the quick accession proposals, with some saying that they welcome Ukraine’s membership bid, but not at the expense of easing existing protocols. According to the outlet, The EU is reportedly shelving plans for Ukraine’s rapid accession amid strong behind-the-scenes protests from key states.