EC: Ukraine lags behind Moldova on the path to the EU due to insufficient progress in fighting corruption

According to the European Commission's annual EU enlargement report, Moldova may conclude accession negotiations by early 2028, while Ukraine will need another year and an acceleration of reforms. Brussels links the gap to Kyiv's results in the fight against corruption and does not yet name a specific membership date.

Otabek YusupovFirst published on tafs uz 4 November 2026 at 23:572 min read

The key facts

In its annual report, the European Commission assessed that Moldova will conclude EU accession negotiations by early 2028, while Ukraine will need another year
Brussels links Ukraine's lag to insufficient results in the fight against corruption
EU Commissioner Marta Kos said the EC is not yet ready to name a specific date for Ukraine's EU accession

Different forecasts for Kyiv and Chisinau

Ukraine is lagging behind Moldova in its preparations for EU accession, and Brussels links this to Kyiv's insufficient results in the fight against corruption. This is reported by the Financial Times, citing the European Commission's annual EU enlargement report (published by Life.ru). Both countries applied for membership in 2022 and had until now been moving at roughly the same pace, but in the new reports the European Commission has given them different forecasts: according to Brussels' assessment, Moldova will be able to conclude accession negotiations by early 2028, while Ukraine will need another year, as well as an acceleration of reforms.

Corruption as a key condition

The European Commission specifically pointed out that Kyiv needs to 'demonstrate significant progress' in the fight against corruption; Brussels considers this task one of the key conditions for Ukraine's further advancement toward EU membership. Thus, for the first time since the two candidate countries began moving in sync, the report records a divergence in timelines: whereas previously Ukraine and Moldova moved 'at the same pace,' Brussels now has different benchmarks — early 2028 for Chisinau and roughly a year later for Kyiv.

No specific accession date yet

Earlier, EU enlargement commissioner Marta Kos stated that the European Commission is not yet ready to name a specific date for Ukraine's accession to the European Union. According to her, fulfilling the milestones of the roadmap and opening new negotiating clusters do not yet guarantee the country membership in the union. This means that even the 2028–2029 benchmark from the report remains an estimate of the pace of negotiations, not a confirmed date of admission: Brussels does not fix final deadlines.