In 2027, not accession, but conclusion of negotiations
EU ambassadors told a meeting with the European Commission last week that member states would not accept the “reverse enlargement” model of “membership first, integration later” proposed for Ukraine, as Logos Press wrote. And some indicated that the European Commission may have to rethink the central idea on this, Politico reported.
Discussions continue in Brussels regarding the finalization of negotiations and Ukraine’s possible accession to the European Union (EU) by the end of 2027, without “reverse enlargement.” However, the status of this initiative as of early March 2026 remains uncertain due to serious disagreements within the union, Politico writes.
“Work is now underway to ensure that the next three EU presidencies focus on bringing in new member states with the goal of finalizing negotiations on Ukraine by the end of 2027,” the publication writes.
Details
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has suggested that Ukraine’s accession to the EU from the beginning of 2027 is part of the settlement plan in the current negotiations, a point that a number of European countries would not support. Polish President Karol Nawrocki called Zelenski’s wish for Ukraine to join the EU by 2027 “hard to achieve”.
“Ukraine’s hopes for accelerated European Union membership were dashed at a dinner in Brussels when EU ambassadors told Ursula von der Leyen’s chief of staff that member states would not accept the European Commission’s controversial ‘reverse enlargement’ proposal.” This resistance actually blocks the ‘membership first, then integration’ model that the executive branch has been pushing in an effort to have Ukraine join the EU by 2027,” the publication said.
The official position of the European Commission
Brussels officials say that 2027 is “Zelensky’s benchmark” and not an approved EU timetable, as the definition of exact dates. Although Ukraine says it is ready to complete its part of the work by 2027, however, none of the 36 stages (clusters) of the negotiations has been completely closed so far.
Realistic timelines
EU officials more often cite 2030 as a more realistic deadline for full membership for Ukraine and other candidate countries (Moldova, Albania, Montenegro).
The EU is keen to treat Moldova and Ukraine as a single package, but European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos confirmed in February 2026 that the countries’ paths could diverge if one of them starts to lag behind in reforms.
Chisinau, like Ukraine, has ambitious goals. The Moldovan authorities have officially set themselves the goal of joining the EU by 2028.
By the end of 2026, the government intends to close 9 negotiating chapters to keep the momentum for accession in 2028. And in early 2026, Moldova has launched full-scale technical negotiations for the first chapters after successfully completing the screening process of all 6 clusters in September 2025.
