Overview
- The European Commission's draft enlargement report praises Ukraine's 'remarkable commitment' and finds conditions met to open clusters on fundamentals, the internal market, and external relations.
- The draft expects Ukraine to satisfy requirements for the remaining three clusters by year-end, though formal openings still require unanimous approval by all 27 EU members.
- The Commission warns that recent pressure on anti-corruption bodies and civil society must be reversed, citing a July attempt to expand the prosecutor general’s control that was rolled back after protests.
- Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos says technical work on benchmarks is ongoing and calls for a political message from member states to sustain progress despite Hungary's block.
- The draft urges stronger safeguards in future Accession Treaties to deter post-entry backsliding and notes Kyiv’s goal to finish negotiations by end-2028 would require faster rule-of-law reforms.