NEGOTIATIONS ON UKRAINE’S EU ACCESSION: 2026 – STATUS, CHALLENGES, PROSPECTS

Abstract

The article provides a comprehensive analysis of the process of negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union as of 2026. The study identifies the key features of the current stage of European integration, which is characterized by the transition from political recognition of the European perspective of the state to the stage of formalized negotiations, the completion of the screening of national legislation for compliance with the law of the European Union, and the implementation of a cluster-based approach to the negotiation process. The institutional and legal content of the negotiations is examined, with particular attention to the role of roadmaps in ensuring the rule of law, reforming public administration, and strengthening democratic institutions.

The problematic aspects of fulfilling the requirements of the European Union are analyzed, including the stability of legal institutions, the effectiveness of law enforcement, the administrative capacity of public authorities, and the adaptation of national legislation to the law of the European Union. The prospects for further development of the negotiation process are substantiated, taking into account the internal transformations of Ukraine and the specific features of the contemporary enlargement policy of the European Union. It is concluded that the negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union have acquired a systemic character and serve as a key mechanism of legal, institutional, and political convergence between Ukraine and the European Union.