The decision by the European Union to reopen membership negotiations with Ukraine was the result of Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion and the realisation that grey zones in Europe’s Eastern Neighbourhood would undermine European security. Different political cultures and a lack of understanding among Ukraine’s leadership of how EU enlargement works, however, are leading to alienation. While President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants to bargain over progress, Brussels sees the process as a merit-based one in which institutions in the candidate country must implement step-by-step reforms. To prevent further backsliding, the EU will have to build bridges for a longer process and maintain pressure on Ukraine to undertake reforms. At the same time, Zelenskyy and key Ukrainian institutions must do their homework on reforms.
Please find the full study by Stefan Meister here.
