On November 4, 2025, the European Commission released its annual enlargement reports, placing Ukraine’s reform efforts and wartime resilience in the spotlight. Despite the ongoing Russian invasion, Ukraine has demonstrated what the Commission called “remarkable commitment” to joining the European Union, though the path ahead remains fraught with both bureaucratic hurdles and political scrutiny. The reports, which also assessed the progress of countries like Montenegro, Serbia, Georgia, and others, delivered a mixed verdict: praise for reformers, warnings for backsliders, and a clear message that the road to EU membership is as demanding as ever.
Ukraine’s bid for EU membership has been nothing short of ambitious. According to the European Commission’s report, Ukraine has “successfully completed the screening process and advanced on key reforms,” including the rule of law, public administration, and the functioning of democratic institutions. The Commission also commended Ukraine for adopting an action plan on national minorities, a step Brussels assessed positively (Kyiv Post). These achievements are all the more notable given the “very difficult circumstances” Ukraine faces due to Russia’s ongoing full-scale war (dpa).
Yet, the Commission’s praise came with a dose of realism. The report emphasized that Ukraine must “accelerate reforms if it is to meet its self-imposed goal of completing the EU accession process by the end of 2028” (dpa). The European Commission supports this timetable but warns that achieving it will require speeding up reforms, particularly in core areas such as the rule of law. “An acceleration of the pace of reforms is required, notably with regards to the fundamentals, in particular rule of law,” the report stated (AP).
Concerns over corruption remain front and center. While Ukraine has established what President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described as “the widest, the broadest anti-corruption infrastructure in Europe,” the Commission noted only “limited progress” in combating corruption (AP). A controversial bill earlier this year, seen as undermining the independence of anti-corruption agencies, sparked public outcry and the first major protests since the war began. Though the bill was withdrawn and a new one introduced to restore agency autonomy, Brussels remains vigilant. The Commission’s report cited “undue pressure on anti-corruption agencies” and called for renewed efforts to safeguard the independence of institutions like the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) (Kyiv Post).
“We have implemented the widest, the broadest anti-corruption infrastructure in Europe. And I don’t know about any country who has that many anti-corruption authorities. We are doing everything possible,” President Zelenskyy said via video-link from Brussels on November 4 (AP).
Despite these challenges, Ukraine’s reform momentum has not gone unnoticed. The Commission highlighted that Ukraine has fulfilled 44 reform steps under the Ukraine Plan for 2024-2027, which outlines the country’s strategy for reconstruction, modernization, and alignment with EU standards (Kyiv Post). The Ukraine Facility, the EU’s main financial assistance program for Ukraine, has mobilized €31.3 billion ($35.9 billion) as of October 1, 2025, including €22.7 billion ($26 billion) disbursed directly to Ukraine as budget support. The plan was slightly amended in October 2025 to clarify timelines, but overall commitments remain unchanged.
Still, several reform steps—particularly those in the judicial sector—remain pending. The Commission’s findings were largely positive but tempered by warnings about “negative trends” in Ukraine’s governance and judicial independence. The report called for Kyiv to step up its “alignment with EU standards in the protection of fundamental rights, along with the continuation of public administration and decentralisation reforms” (dpa).
Ukraine’s progress places it among the top enlargement candidates, alongside Moldova, Albania, and Montenegro. The Commission expects Ukraine to meet the conditions to open the remaining three negotiation clusters and is working to ensure that the Council is in a position to take forward the opening of all clusters before the end of the year (Kyiv Post).
Elsewhere in the Western Balkans, Montenegro was hailed as the frontrunner, with the Commission urging the government to maintain the pace of reforms and seek broad political consensus to wind up its membership talks by the end of 2026 (AP, dpa). “Subject to maintaining the pace of reforms, Montenegro is on track to meet this ambitious objective,” the report stated. Montenegrin Deputy Prime Minister Filip Ivanovic, speaking at a Euronews event, insisted, “This is why we are doing all the so-called homework in order to qualify to become equal partner at the table.”
Albania could finish accession talks by the end of 2027, while Moldova’s goal of concluding talks by 2028 was described as “ambitious but achievable” (dpa, AP). The Commission, however, made it clear that “there will be no shortcuts,” and actual accession still requires approval and ratification by all EU member states (dpa).
Not all candidate countries fared well in the Commission’s assessment. Serbia, the most influential of the Western Balkans hopefuls, was sharply warned about “a serious erosion of trust” due to corruption, excessive use of force against protesters, and a perceived lack of transparency (AP). “Reforms have significantly slowed down,” the Commission warned, and Serbia was urged to “urgently reverse the backsliding on freedom of expression and the erosion of academic freedom.” The report also flagged Serbia’s decision to fast-track visa-free travel rights for Russian citizens by granting them Serbian citizenship as a “potential security risk for the EU.”
Georgia’s situation was described as having “sharply deteriorated,” with “serious democratic backsliding marked by a rapid erosion of the rule of law and severe restrictions on fundamental rights” (AP, dpa). The Commission said, “It considers Georgia a candidate country in name only,” and urged the governing Georgian Dream party to alter course. Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashviliat rejected the report, stating, “If anyone is regressing as a result of such unjust, biased, anti-democratic, polarisation-oriented, and destructive attitudes, it is precisely the current governing institutions of the European Union.”
Türkiye also came under criticism for further backsliding on fundamental rights and rule-of-law standards, with its accession process stalled alongside Georgia’s (dpa).
As the European Union weighs the future of its enlargement, internal debates persist. France, for instance, has argued that the EU must reform itself before taking on new members, while national vetoes—especially from Hungary and Slovakia—continue to slow decision-making (AP). The Commission is even considering whether to place new members “on probation,” restricting their use of vetoes to avoid gridlock.
The prospect of EU membership remains a powerful incentive for reform, promising increased trade and job creation for successful candidates. But as the latest reports make clear, the road to Brussels is long, winding, and—above all—conditional on the relentless pursuit of democratic values and the rule of law. For Ukraine and its fellow candidates, the coming years will test not only their political will but the very fabric of their societies.