Ukrainian Parliament Actively Works on Euro-Integration Legislation: 100 Initiatives on the Path to EU Membership

Ukrainian lawmakers in the Verkhovna Rada are currently maintaining an active pace in adopting euro-integration legislation, which is critically important for the country in the context of closing benchmarks — mandatory indicators needed to complete negotiation chapters with the European Union. This was announced by Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Taras Kachka during a meeting with journalists on April 8, as reported by NV's correspondent.

“We actually have around one hundred bills that are currently in the Verkhovna Rada, which, to varying degrees, close the benchmarks. This means we are very actively consolidating on all these issues,” Kachka stated, emphasizing the importance of these initiatives for the further development of the country.

The Deputy Prime Minister also noted that an anti-corruption strategy for the next year was discussed at a government committee meeting on April 8, reflecting the government's active work towards improving the rule of law. Additionally, on April 7, the Verkhovna Rada passed a law simplifying executive proceedings through digitalization, which is also an important step within the framework of euro-integration.

“So, we also have active work there to gain momentum and pursue these measures in a less politicized manner,” Kachka added, highlighting that the government and parliament are working closely together to achieve common goals.

In response to journalists' questions, the Deputy Prime Minister clarified that the preparation of bills has been “systematically carried out in previous years,” and that the array of legislative initiatives developed has not disappeared, with a significant portion already in the Verkhovna Rada.

At the same time, Kachka emphasized that with the transition to the negotiation process and the receipt of benchmarks, the requirements for the content of these decisions have significantly increased. “Previously, we moved in the logic of the Association Agreement — now each bill must clearly meet specific conditions and close the relevant benchmarks,” he explained, noting that the task of the government and the Verkhovna Rada is to “refine” these initiatives so that they meet all requirements and are counted within the negotiation process.

On March 17, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced that the Ukrainian delegation in Brussels received conditions from the European Union for entry concerning the final three negotiation clusters. According to Svyrydenko, the next steps involve successfully closing the clusters and signing the accession agreement, which will be the final step towards Ukraine's full membership in the EU.

On March 19, 25 EU leaders (excluding Hungary and Slovakia) adopted a statement calling for the immediate opening of negotiation clusters regarding Ukraine's EU membership. Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukraine is counting on joining the European Union by 2027.

For his part, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz noted that any country wishing to join the EU must first meet the Copenhagen criteria, a process that usually takes several years. He stressed that Ukraine needs a perspective that paves the way for membership in the long term. According to Merz, Ukraine's accession to the EU by January 1 of the following year is unrealistic.