European Commission's 2026 Enlargement Report Places Ukraine Among Frontrunners for Membership

The European Commission released its annual enlargement package on 4 November, evaluating the progress of 10 countries seeking to join the European Union and naming Ukraine as one of the four states that have advanced the most over the past year.

In its assessment, the Commission acknowledged Kyiv's reform efforts despite the country being at war. "Ukraine has continued to advance on key sectoral reforms. Its institutional framework for combating corruption remains effective, with specialised anti-corruption institutions continuing to operate overall independently and effectively," the press release stated.

The 2026 report broadly sorts the candidate countries into three categories based on their trajectory. The first group, described as making significant progress and actively moving towards membership, consists of Ukraine, Moldova, Montenegro and Albania.

A second group, comprising North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo, is seen as effectively stuck, with their EU integration processes stagnating. The third group, made up of Serbia, Georgia and Türkiye, is experiencing regression in certain areas or prolonged blockages in accession negotiations.

Among the areas where Ukraine recorded good progress, the Commission listed public administration reform, developing the competitiveness of the economy, digital transformation, financial services, customs, energy, agriculture, and science and education.

At the same time, Brussels made clear that significant work remains. The Commission stressed the need for Ukraine to accelerate judicial and anti-corruption reforms and to fulfil the commitments set out in its rule of law roadmap.

The report follows recent signals from Kyiv that it intends to keep moving in step with its neighbour. Ihor Zhovkva, Deputy Head of the Office of the President, said earlier that Ukraine plans to continue its EU integration efforts together with Moldova, which was also placed in the leading group.

To support the remaining reforms, Ukraine's government and the European Commission established a joint Task Force at an early stage of the process. The body aims to secure approval within several months of draft laws concerning the rule of law and anti-corruption, two of the areas the Commission flagged as requiring faster progress.

The enlargement package is published each year and serves as the European Union's principal benchmark for how close candidate countries are to meeting the conditions of membership, shaping the pace of negotiations in the months that follow.