The European Union has sent Ukraine a list of the reforms required for membership and will use those items to assess whether Ukraine is ready to join the bloc, Ukrainska Pravda reported on Feb. 23.
According to the report, Ukraine received several documents in 2026 covering each negotiating chapter. Each criterion is numbered and will form the basis of Brussels’ official evaluation.
The documents set out “closing benchmarks” and “interim benchmarks” that focus on the rule of law, anti-corruption, and human rights. Officials involved in talks on a new accession framework told Ukrainska Pravda that Ukraine must meet these benchmarks even under an expedited accession scenario, which is currently being discussed in Brussels.
Key requirements in Section 23, “Justice and fundamental rights,” include:
- Adopt a data protection law in line with EU acquis;
- Strengthen media independence and bolster protections for journalists;
- Bring Ukrainian laws on equality and non?discrimination into line with EU law;
- Align laws protecting the rights of national minorities with European standards.
Benchmarks for the judicial system include:
- Improving judge selection processes; revising the integrity vetting of Supreme Court and other high?court judges;
- Reforming the procedure for Supreme Court appointments;
- Expanding the membership of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine to include independent experts proposed by international partners;
- Greater transparency in the selection and dismissal of the prosecutor general and senior prosecutors;
- Reducing shortages of judges and support staff;
- Reforming the bar and legal education;
- Ensuring quorum and timely appointments to the Constitutional Court.
Anti?corruption benchmarks include:
- Expanding the jurisdiction of the National Anti?Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) to cover all high?risk public officials;
- Granting the Specialized Anti?Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) authority to open criminal cases against MPs without prior approval from the Prosecutor General;
- Removing legal provisions that allow automatic closure of criminal cases when pretrial deadlines expire.
Section 24, “Justice, freedom, and security,” requires Ukraine to align its laws with EU rules on organized crime, criminalization and investigation of money laundering, and the freezing and confiscation of assets. It calls for more investigations and convictions in cases involving organized crime, human trafficking, child sexual abuse, cybercrime, firearms trafficking, drug production and trafficking, and money laundering. The benchmarks also call for reforms of the State Bureau of Investigations, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), and the Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA).
https://english.nv.ua/nation/list-of-eu-requirements-for-ukraine-s-accession-50586414.html
